Blast From the Past
by ananova
Summary: Just why does Granger dislike Callen so much? Could it be something in his past that he isn't aware of? What happens when that past returns?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

Author Note: This is my first NCIS:LA fic. It takes place after the season 4 opener Endgame but before Recruit. After seeing Callen is with kids I couldn't help but wonder how he would react to finding out that he had one. Then there was the whole thing with Granger and how he dislikes Callen for some unknown reason. And from there this fic was born.

I've taken a bit of liberty with Callen's background as I couldn't find a timeline of when he worked for the various federal agencies. We know that he's worked for at least the CIA, FBI and DEA prior to joining NCIS. He was working for the DEA 10 years prior to season 1. He'd been with NCIS at least 4 years prior to season 1, partnered with Sam for 2 ½ of those years.

I'm not sure how much of this background I'm creating will be necessary for this fic but I figure it's better to have it sorted out before hand. Figure he joined each agency while searching for answers to his past. So since I'm assuming the CIA wasn't his first job, he started at the FBI and then was brought to the attention of the CIA before joining them. After the whole mess with Tracy he left the CIA, eventually joining the DEA and from there moves on to NCIS. Now for the purpose of this fic I'm inserting another agency into his past. After the CIA but before the DEA what if he worked for the ATF? After all, it's never been confirmed that he only worked for 3 agencies prior to NCIS. So for the purpose of this fic he worked for the ATF around 15 years prior to the start of season 4, leaving that agency for reasons that will become clear later in the fic.

Now that the background is out of the way let's start the fic. Please let me know what you think.

* * *

The streets were dark and empty as the black van sped down through them. The area was a rundown, seemingly abandoned part of the city. So there was no one around to witness as the rear doors flew open, a small figure leaping from the moving vehicle and hitting the pavement hard, rolling from the momentum. As the figure came to a stop, it pushed itself unsteadily to it's feet as the van screeched to a stop.

The figure turned to glance back at the van briefly as the sounds of a struggle within the vehicle could be heard. But as two men jumped from the back, guns clearly visible in their hands, the small figure began to run.

Passing a lone street light, the figure is briefly illuminated. Shoulder length hair trailed behind the face of a young girl, her vivid blue eyes wide with fear, her hands tightly bound in front of her. A muffled cry escaped her as the two men began to fire their weapons. Dodging around a corner, she continued to run, eyes searching for some refuge.

The men cursed as they turn the corner and find no sign of their quarry. They carefully started down the side street, guns pointed toward the shadows as they keep searching. The van returned, now quiet and another man called out to them. "Well?"

"She can't have gone far," one of the first two men responded as they both stop.

"Doesn't matter, we've got what we came for," the newcomer stated as he motioned them back to the van. "She'll turn up eventually. 'Sides, she's just a kid. What's she gonna do? Go crying to mommy?" The three men shared a laugh at that, as the other two climb into the van and it began to drive away.

Watching from the shadows of a drainage ditch, blue eyes prickle with tears. The girl's hand clutched a small locket hanging around her neck as she waited several long minutes to make sure they had really gone. Her head and shoulders slumped momentarily. Then, drawing in a deep breath, she raised her head, a strong look of resolve settling on her face. She turned to the pipe and found a jagged edge and used it to saw through the duct tape binding her arms together. She winced but didn't cry out as the sharp edge cut into her skin as well as her bindings. Once free, she dragged her sore and filthy body out of the ditch. Her eyes warily searched the area. Not finding anything of use, she began to walk.

She briefly thought of trying one of the nearby buildings for help but shook the thought away. They were all rundown, the likelihood of anyone being inside of them, especially someone who could help, was nonexistent. Besides, there was only one person she would, no, could trust to help her now. She had to stop several times to rest, her head spinning and her body aching and bruised.

But finally, just as the sky was just beginning to lighten in the pre-dawn, she found what she was looking for. With shaking hands, she reached for payphone, silently praying it was in working order. She nearly collapsed in relief as she heard the dial tone. Inserting a couple of coins, she dialed the number with shaking fingers.

"No," she whimpered in despair as the call went unanswered. She tried again, getting the same message. Every number she knew for him, she tried, always getting the same electronic message.

"_This is Granger, leave a message."_

She couldn't reach him. What was she supposed to do now? She rested her head against the phone booth. The one man she could trust and she couldn't reach him. Her eyes widened as she recalled something. Feeling numb, she tried one last number, praying that someone would answer. He had made her memorize this number, told her that if she ever was in trouble and couldn't contact him to call it. Hopefully whoever answered would be able to help. She nearly burst into tears as the phone was answered.

"_Lange."_


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

Author Note: I don't live in LA, never even been there. So I'm going to be vague about locations as I don't know any.

* * *

Henrietta Lange gave a small smile as she watched her two senior agents enter the building bantering about something or other. It was good to see things getting back to normal after that whole mess with Janvier. She knew she'd made the right decision all of those years ago when she'd assigned these two as partners. They made such a great team, balancing each other out, grounding one another. They would help each other get through the aftermath of that mess.

She watched as the two sat at their desks and began to fill out their overdue reports, before turning back to her own paperwork. A quiet day was just what they all needed after recent experiences. She paused, perhaps some time off would be better. Once all of their paperwork was done of course. She lifted her cup and took a sip of the tea, savoring it as she read. The ringing of her cellphone distracted her and she put down the tea to pick it up, frowning at the unknown number.

"Lange," she answered.

"_H-hello?"_

Hetty's frown deepened as she heard the young voice. "Who is this?"

"_You have to help her! They took her, they hurt her,"_ the young girl sobbed. _"They're going to kill her!"_

"Calm down. Take a deep breath," Hetty said as she made her way to the stairs. Spotting Callen glancing at her she waved him off and headed up to ops. "Who are they? And who did they take?"

"_My mom! I don't know who they are, they broke in and grabbed us. Mom tried to fight, helped me get away. But they h-hurt her!" _The girl's voice broke.

"I need you to calm down. Can you tell me where you are?"

"_I don't know,"_ she sobbed.

"Eric, I need a trace on this call," Hetty stated, entering Ops. "How did you get this number?"

"_Uncle Owen, he made me memorize it, just in case he said. I tried and tried but I couldn't reach him. What if something's happened to him too?"_

Hetty glanced down at the phone in surprise. "Owen Granger?" The man didn't have any family.

"_Uh-huh."_

Hetty glanced at Eric as he turned from the computer. "It's coming from northern part of downtown LA. There's nothing there but abandoned factories and warehouses."

Hetty covered the phone as she heard the doors to Ops open behind her. "Send the address to Ms. Blye and Mr. Deeks, they're closer. Tell them they're looking for a young girl but to be careful as they may be walking into a trap." Something about this phone call just didn't feel right.

"Hetty?"

"In a moment Mr. Callen." She turned her attention back to the phone. "I'm sending a couple of my people to you, they'll get you to safety. Then we'll see about helping your mother."

"_T-thank you."_

Hetty could hear the relief in her voice. "You never told me your name."

"_C-callie, my name is Callie."_

"Don't worry Callie, everything will be alright now." She frowned, hearing the beep indicating more money needed before the dial tone picked up. "Mr. Beale, do we have a visual?"

"On it," Eric said, his fingers flying across the keyboard.

"What's going on Hetty?"

"I'm not sure Mr. Callen."

An image appeared on the large screen. "That's the best I can do Hetty, there's not a lot of cameras in the area."

They watched as a small figure hung up the phone and glanced around the area. The image was too blurry to get a good look at the face but it was clear that it was a very young girl. She wrapped her arms around herself and limped toward one of the buildings, huddling in a doorway, out of sight of the road.

"Who is she?" Callen asked.

"Someone in need of help. She said she was given my number by Assistant Director Granger, and she only called it after being unable to reach him."

"Granger?" Callen shared a look with Sam. As far as he was concerned, anything involving Granger was trouble.

"Yes, though it's no surprise she couldn't reach him. He had to return to Washington to debrief on that whole Janvier mess."

Callen and Sam shared another look. "Did the girl say what sort of trouble she's in?" His blue eyes locked onto the image of the girl. He couldn't make out her face but based on her size she couldn't be more than 12 or 13 years old. Seeing her huddling there brought out his protective instincts. He hated seeing children hurt.

"The dangerous kind." Hetty sighed. "She said some men broke in and abducted both her and her mother but she managed to get away with her mother's help."

"Do you believe her?" Sam asked.

Hetty nodded. "I do, but caution is still advised. It's possible that the men only wanted her to think she had gotten away."

Nell put her hand to her earpiece and spoke quietly for a few minutes. "Ok, thanks." She turned to the others. "Kensi and Deeks are almost there. I told them what we know, including the girl's name."

"Good. Once they have her have them bring her to the boat-shed. Hopefully then we can find out what this is all about." They watched the familiar silver car drive up and stop.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

* * *

"Thanks Nell," Deeks said as Kensi parked. "Nell says the girl's name is Callie, probably 11 or 12 from what they could see. Last they could see she was hiding in a doorway." They got out of the car, eyes automatically scanning the area for signs of danger. They held their guns at the ready as they approached the payphone.

"No sign of anyone else around," Kensi said, her eyes quickly checking the nearby rooftops for snipers. "Was the girl hurt?"

"Nell said she was limping but they couldn't really tell how badly injured she might be." Deeks glanced at her. "So, how do you want to do this?"

Kensi glanced at him, then saw the look he was giving her. "Oh, no. No way. You know me and kids don't mix."

"Seriously, you're gonna be like that?" He rolled his eyes at her. "Fine. Probably better this way. Kids love me."

"That's cause they can tell you're at the same maturity level as them."

"Whatever, you're just jealous." He gave her a little grin before lowering his weapon and stepping toward the building. Trusting his partner to guard his back he approached the door. "Callie?" A slight movement caught his eye and he slowed, holding his hands up. "Hey, my name's Marty and this is Kensi. Hetty sent us, you spoke to her on the phone?" He watched as a head slowly poked it's way out of the doorway. Dirt and who knew what else was streaked across the young face that gazed out at him. "It's ok, I'm a cop. We're here to bring you somewhere safe."

She bit her lip, glancing from him to Kensi and back. Her vivid blue eyes stood out in her dirt covered face, the uncertainty clear in them.

"Hey, everything is going to be alright. I promise." Deeks took another step toward her.

"I want my mom," she whispered, arms wrapping around herself as she took a step out to meet him.

"I know, and we're gonna do everything in our power to get her back to you," Deeks reassured her. He frowned at the way she held herself, stiff and obviously in pain. Beneath the dirt that covered her head to toe, he could see tears in her clothing. There was a gash visible above her left eye, and a bruise could be seen forming beneath the dirt on her face. "Are you hurt?"

She shrugged, her arms wrapping tighter around her torso.

Deeks shared a look with Kensi as she put her also holstered her weapon. If this was a trap it would have been sprung already. Kensi nodded at him before taking a step toward the girl and placing her hand gently on her shoulder. Her nose wrinkled slightly at the smell, she was sure that wasn't just dirt but she ignored it as she bent down slightly. "Hey, why don't we take you someplace to get cleaned up. I'm sure you'll feel better after that and on the way you can tell us what you know so we can help your mom, ok?"

"Ok," Callie said softly, letting them lead her to the car.

They got her settled in the backseat and Deeks joined her, giving her a smile as Kensi started the car. "So, my partner's driving can be a bit much for the uninitiated. If you get scared, feel free to squeeze my hand."

"Hey! I am a great driver!" Kensi said indignantly as she headed in the direction of the boat-shed.

"Sure, just keep telling yourself that," Deeks said, winking at Callie and getting a slight smile in response. "So, what's your mom's name?" He turned his head and watched as Kensi surreptitiously grabbed her phone and dialed Ops before nodding at him.

"Erin, Erin O'Rourke."

"Do you have any idea why they would have taken her?" He frowned as Callie nervously chewed her lip. "Hey, it's ok. Just tell us whatever you can."

"I'm not supposed to talk about it."

"Hey, we're the good guys. I promise you, we just want to help." Deeks reached over and squeezed her hand. "You can trust me." He watched as she thought it over before fixing him with that blue-eyed gaze. The look in her eyes made him uncomfortable, as if she was judging his trustworthiness, seeing deep into his soul. She must have found what she was looking for because she began to speak.

"Mom used to be a federal agent, before I was born. She got injured, really bad." Deeks exchanged a look with Kensi as Callie drew a deep breath. "I'm not even supposed to know but I heard her talking once. She made me promise not to tell anyone. That the bad guys would come looking for her if they knew."

"Do you know what agency she was with?" Kensi asked, glancing at her in the rear-view mirror.

Callie fidgeted. "I don't know. She really didn't want to talk about it. It made her sad. Bad memories, I guess." She turned to look out the window.

Kensi frowned. "What about your dad?"

But the question only made Callie slump more. "Don't know. Never met him. Mom didn't talk about him much." Her hand came up to clutch the locket she wore, something that didn't go unnoticed.

"That's a nice locket," Deeks commented. "Can I see?"

Callie glanced at him, pulling away slightly as her grip tightened on it.

His eyebrows went up as he saw her becoming defensive. "Ok, never mind." He grinned suddenly as Kensi slowed the car. "Well, we're here, in one piece too."

"You want to walk next time?" Kensi asked as they got out of the car.

"Hmm, let me think about it. Walking who knows how many miles vs. your driving. Decisions, decisions. Ow!" He rubbed his arm where Kensi had punched him. "Really? You see what I have to put up with?" Deeks asked Callie.

Callie giggled weakly as they led her into the boat-shed.

"Here, sit down," Deeks said as he walked to the small fridge and grabbed a bottle of water.

"Thank you," Callie said as she accepted it. She opened it and took a small drink before beginning to pick at the label.

Kensi and Deeks joined her at the table. "I know you would feel better if you were clean but first we need you to tell us whatever you can about what happened to you and your mom."

Callie nodded and looked down at the table. "We'd just finished watching a movie and mom was telling me to go to bed. I was arguing with her, said I wasn't tired. I told her I wasn't a baby and didn't need her to tell me when to go to bed." She reached up and covered her face as tears threatened to fall. "God, the last thing I might have said to her would have been an argument."

"Hey, your mom loves you and knows you love her. All kids argue with their parents," Kensi told her as she reached out to squeeze her hand. This was reminding her of her own argument with her father. Hopefully Callie would have a happier ending than she had.

Callie gave her a weak smile of thanks. "That's when they burst in. Broke down the door. Mom told me to run but they came in the back too. They grabbed us and tied us up with duct tape." She frowned. "Mom tried to fight but she can't move real good and they kept hitting her. Then this one guy stepped forward and Mom recognized him. Called him Connors. He spoke with an Irish accent." She shuddered. "He grabbed her face and said he'd been looking forward to this for a long time. Said he was going to make her pay." Callie took a deep shuddering breath, arms wrapping tightly around her torso. "Mom begged him to let me go. Said she'd do anything if he did. That's when he looked at me for the first time." She shuddered, tears finally beginning to fall.

Kensi and Deeks shared another look. Without a word Kensi got up and knelt next to her. "Did he hurt you?"

Callie shook her head. "No, he just got this really creepy smile on his face. He came over and grabbed my face, turning it this way and that, just looking at me. The look on his face scared me. Then he turned back to my mom and told her 'Why would I do a thing like that when you've just handed me the perfect tool for my revenge?' That's when Mom started to cry. They took us out and put us in this van and started to drive. That one guy, Connors, kept going on about how he was going to make Mom pay." She had to stop, and take a few breaths, trying to calm down.

Unable to look at the two adults, she stared at the table for a long moment before continuing. "Mom got really quiet and still. I was so scared, and I was crying for her. Connors started taunting her about me. Saying how she couldn't protect me. Mom rolled over toward me, told me to ignore him, that everything would be alright. He got pissed at that and told her she should know better than to make promises she couldn't keep. He came toward us and Mom pushed me toward the door then swung her feet knocking him down as he tried to kick her. He fell into the other guys and Mom yelled at me to run. I managed to get up and get the door open while she kept getting in the way. I jumped out of the van." She reached up and rubbed her head. "That hurt. I thought someone would see me and help but there was no one around."

She bit her lip again as the other two exchanged another look, unable to believe she had thrown herself out of a moving vehicle on purpose.

"I left her." The tears flowed more freely now. "The van had stopped and I could hear them hurting her. There was no one around. I wanted to help her but then two of them jumped out and started to run toward me. They had guns. So I ran. I ran and I hid in a drainage ditch." She covered her face with her hands. "I just left her with them."

"Hey, you did the right thing." Deeks told her gently. "Your mom needed to know you were safe. And this way people know what happened and can look for her. There was nothing you would have been able to do by staying."

"But-"

"No, Deeks is right. They would have hurt you to hurt your mom. This way she has a chance," Kensi told her as she placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, I think it's time you got cleaned up. I'll show you where there's a shower and we'll get you some clean clothes. Then we'll have someone check you out."

Callie shook her head. "I'm fine."

Deeks snorted. "You jumped out of a moving vehicle. You are not fine. I know a guy who's done that a lot of times, believe me, I know you gotta be hurting."

"But my mom-"

"We're working on it. But you suffering isn't going to help her any."

Callie sighed and let the matter drop, letting Kensi lead her to the shower.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

* * *

Callen watched along with the others as Kensi and Deeks coaxed the girl from her hiding spot and into the car. "Doesn't look like it was a trap," he commented. His eyes remained focused on the girl. Something about her was bringing out all of his protective instincts.

"No, thank goodness for small favors," Hetty said.

"Incoming call from Kensi," Eric called out. "Putting it on speaker."

"_So what's your mom's name?" _Deeks' voice came over the line.

"_Erin, Erin O'Rourke."_ Came the girl's quiet response.

A jolt went through Callen as he heard that name. Sam noticed. "G?"

"_Do you have any idea why they would have taken her?"_

"Searching the databases now," Eric said as he and Nell began to type. But Callen didn't need them to tell him what they would find, he already knew. Just as he knew the answer to Deeks' question.

"_Hey, it's ok. Just tell us whatever you can."_ Deeks continued to coax the girl into answering his question.

"_I'm not supposed to talk about it."_

"_Hey, we're the good guys. I promise you, we just want to help. You can trust me."_

Callen's mind was racing. It couldn't be the same person. There had to be plenty of people with that name. Plus last he'd heard she was on the other side of the country.

"_Mom used to be a federal agent, before I was born. She got injured, really bad."_

Callen closed his eyes briefly, now certain he knew exactly who she was. She must have moved afterward. He'd have no way of knowing, not keeping tabs, having decided a clean break was best for all involved. He listened as the girl, Callie continued.

"_I'm not even supposed to know but I heard her talking once. She made me promise not to tell anyone. That the bad guys would come looking for her if they knew."_

"Limiting the search to government agencies," Eric announced. "It would help if we knew which agency though."

"_Do you know what agency she was with?" _Came Kensi's voice.

"_I don't know. She really didn't want to talk about it. It made her sad. Bad memories, I guess."_

"ATF," Callen spoke up, not meeting their eyes as they all turned to look at him. "She was with the ATF about 15 years ago."

"G? You know her?"

He nodded. "After the CIA, before the DEA. I worked with her a few times. That last mission she was shot, but they said she'd make a full recovery. It was after that mission that I left and joined the DEA." He quieted as he heard Kensi's next question come over the speaker.

"_What about your dad?"_

"_Don't know. Never met him. Mom didn't talk about him much."_

He frowned, wondering for a second before shaking the thought away. No, the girl was too young. He was aware of Hetty and Sam giving him looks but he ignored them, focusing on the phone.

"_That's a nice locket," _Deeks commented._ "Can I see?"_

"_Ok, never mind. Well, we're here, in one piece too."_

"_You want to walk next time?" _Kensi sounding irritated with the sound of car doors opening and closing in the background.

Sam shook his head. "When's the fool gonna realize it's not smart to piss Kensi off."

Callen shot him a grin. "This is Deeks we're talking about, he'll never learn."

"_Hmm, let me think about it. Walking who knows how many miles vs. your driving. Decisions, decisions. Ow! Really? You see what I have to put up with?"_

A weak giggle came across the line.

"They've entered the boat-shed, switching to it's video and audio," Nell said.

They watched as the three entered and got their first good look at the girl. "Damn," Sam said, taking in her filthy appearance. "Kid looks worse than Deeks does after going undercover as a vagabond. Glad it was Kensi that had to pick her up and not me." He shook his head.

Callen listened with half an ear as he studied the girl. He supposed she looked like Erin, it was hard to tell with all of the dirt caked on her face. He frowned at the cuts and bruises he could just make out under the dirt, wondering how badly she was injured.

He listened as Callie began her story, shaking his head at the cause of the argument. He'd heard similar from Sam's kids, all kids argued against bedtime. He nodded in approval as Kensi reached out to her, knowing it must have touched a nerve. Hopefully this story would have a happier ending than Kensi's had.

His hands clenched at his side as she described the men bursting in. But the revelation of who was behind it had him seeing red. "Son of a bitch!"

"Mr. Callen?"

"Patrick Connors was an arms dealer with strong ties to the RIRA, providing them with weapons and funding. That last investigation, the one where Erin was shot was aimed at taking him down. We managed to take down a good chunk of his organization thanks to Erin who was assigned to the case because she spoke fluent Gaelic, but Connors managed to get away. How the hell did he manage to find her?!"

"Good question Mr. Callen," Hetty said as she turned to look at Nell and Eric who were typing faster.

Callen ignored them, focusing his attention on the monitor. He briefly closed his eyes as Callie described Erin begging for them to let her daughter go. He thought of his own mother, wondered if she had done the same for him and his sister. Did she even have the chance to? He clenched his fists again as he saw the girl's reaction and heard Kensi's question. What did that bastard do to her?

He let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding as she continued. He couldn't help the incredulous look that came across his face as Callie described her escape. This tiny little girl had actually thrown herself out of a moving vehicle? He knew from personal experience how much that hurt. He found himself studying her, trying to determine what injuries she was hiding.

Sam's chuckle drew his attention. "She sounds like you G."

"Ha, ha," he groused, turning back to the monitor. He shook his head as he listened to her blame herself for leaving her mother behind. How could she not realize that she did the right thing?

"Eric?"

"We've got the files from the ATF, crosschecking for any recent information on Connors and his organization." The computer tech turned to look at the Senior Agent. "It could be a while. It doesn't look like they've updated the file in years and he hasn't been a blip on our radar."

Impatience filled him as he opened his mouth to tell them that wasn't good enough but Hetty beat him to it. "Keep working on it Mr. Beale, Ms. Jones. In the meantime, you two can bring some clothes to the boat-shed for our guest. And Mr. Hanna be sure to check her for injury, you should know what to look for by now."

Sam nodded. "With this daredevil here of course I do. Come on G."

But Callen hesitated. "Hetty-"

She shook her head at him. "No Mr. Callen. There is nothing else you can do at the moment until Mr. Beale and Ms. Jones have a lead for you to follow. Meanwhile, that young girl has been through a horrible experience and needs to be checked over."

"Fine," he huffed before turning and storming out the door, his partner following behind.

Hetty waited a moment to be sure they were gone before she turned to the two members of the support team. "Ms. Jones, I want to know every detail about that mission, about Erin O'Rourke and her daughter."

"Yes Ma'am," Nell said, exchanging a look with Eric before she began pulling up documents.

Hetty stood there a moment as she contemplated her Senior Agent, the girl, and the whole situation. And not for the first time she wondered just what the connection was to Owen Granger.


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

* * *

"You want to tell me what that was all about back there?" Sam asked as he drove through the streets.

"Nothing to talk about," Callen responded, not looking at his partner.

"Nice try. I know you, partner, better than you think. Who was she?"

Callen sighed. "The real reason I don't date cops."

Sam glanced at him. "You two were serious."

Callen shrugged. "Could have been. Then that whole mess with Connors happened."

"What aren't you telling me?"

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Nope."

Callen shook his head. "We were undercover. Somehow we got made. I've always suspected that Connors had someone on his payroll but couldn't prove it. Anyway, he pulled a gun on Erin." He sighed, wiping a hand down his face. "I froze, for just an instant. Long enough for him to pull the trigger. He took off and I had to decide between going after him and staying with Erin."

"You stayed with your partner." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah. Bullet came dangerously close to her spine after tearing through her lung. But the doctors said she would make a full recovery. I waited until I knew she was going to be okay, then I turned in my resignation. Couldn't keep working there, not after what had happened. Put in the transfer to the DEA." He sighed.

"How did she take it?"

Callen laughed. "Oh she was pissed. Cursed at me in Gaelic and told me what a sorry bastard I was leaving a girl on her sick bed like that."

Sam smiled. "Sounds like your type, all fired up."

"That she is."

Sam glanced at him again. "Any chance the kid's yours?"

Callen shook his head. "Looks too young. Besides, we were always careful, always used protection. And with the damage that bullet did there's no way a fetus would have survived."

"As long as you're sure G."

"I am." He stared out the window, trying to force the memories back into their box.

* * *

Nell frowned as she brought up the information on Erin O'Rourke.

"Ms. Jones?"

"Sorry Hetty. Something's bugging me about this." She pointed to the medical file. "I just can't pinpoint it yet."

"Well, start with what you know and I'm sure it will come to you."

"Okay, Erin O'Rourke. Age 39. Former ATF agent. She resigned on medical disability after being shot 15 years ago. Looks like the bullet did a lot of damage, including partial paralysis after it lodged near her spine. One daughter. She's been working as an analyst for the past few years." Nell frowned at the medical report again. "I don't get it. The report says that the bullet could have been removed, ending the paralysis. She would have been able to make a full recovery. But for some reason the operation wasn't performed. Actually it says she refused to have it done."

Eric looked up at that. "Why would she refuse the operation?"

Hetty also frowned, a suspicion beginning to niggle at her. "Was it dangerously risky?"

Nell shook her head. "According to the report, no. It wouldn't have been more than the normal risk of an operation."

"So Ms. O'Rourke had another reason to refuse the operation." Hetty pursed her lips in thought. "Ms. Jones, how old is the girl?"

Nell shrugged before pulling up the birth certificate. "She didn't look more than 11 or 12. Here's the birth certificate. Mother Erin O'Rourke, father is blank. Birth date is listed as February 3, 1998." Nell blinked at that. "She's 14? Doesn't look it. Wait a minute, that would mean that Erin O'Rourke was pregnant when she was shot."

Eric rolled his chair over to look at the file. "So she refused the operation because it would have put the baby at risk. But how did the baby survive the shooting?" he wondered before something else on the birth certificate caught his eye. "Oh, shit."

"What?" Nell quickly scanned over the document again before she saw it too. "Well, that was unexpected."

"Mr. Beale, Ms. Jones?" They silently pointed to what had their attention. The full name listed on the birth certificate. "Oh bugger! I think I had best get down to the boat-shed." She turned to the doors. "And not a word of this to anyone, do you two understand me?"

"Yep."

"Loud and clear."

"Good." The doors opened before she reached them. She looked at Assistant Director Owen Granger and fixed him with a hard stare. "Owen, good. You have some explaining to do. You can start on the way to the boat-shed." Without letting him get a word out, she had him out the door and on his way.

Nell and Eric shared a look. "This isn't going to end well."

"Not at all."


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

* * *

"Poor kid," Deeks said as Kensi returned from the bathroom. He handed her a cup of coffee. "You think she'll be alright?"

"I hope so. She seems strong. If things go right she won't have to be as we'll find her mother in time."

"Yeah," Deeks sighed. Glancing back toward the bathroom he asked her, "So, you think she's really related to Granger?"

"God I hope not. For her sake."

"I hear that. Besides, she looks nothing like him. Too pretty."

Kensi snorted into her coffee. "Yeah, cause you could really see what she looks like under all of that dirt and other crap."

Deeks shrugged. "Even with all of that she's still better looking than Granger." He smirked at her.

"I hear that," Kensi agreed before frowning. "Still, there is something familiar about her, I just can't put my finger on it."

Deeks frowned. "Yeah, now that you mention it there is something familiar about her." He shrugged. "Oh well, it'll come to me."

"Don't think too hard, wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."

"Any thinking is gonna put a strain on Deeks', you should know that by now Kensi," Sam said as he entered the room. "Here," he held out a bag to Kensi. "Clothes for the girl, courtesy of Hetty."

"Thanks, I'll go give them to her. Where's Callen?"

"He'll be in in a minute."

"Ok," Kensi shrugged before heading to the bathroom just as the water shut off. "Callie? I've got some clothes for you. I'm going to leave them just inside the door, ok?" She opened the door and put the bag inside.

"Thank you," Callie said quietly.

"You're welcome."

"How is she?" Sam asked as she returned.

Kensi shrugged. "Hanging in there."

Sam nodded in understanding before turning as the bathroom opened again. He watched as the girl started to exit only to stop and stare at him.

"Who are you?" She hung back in the shadows, seemingly unsure.

Deeks answered for her. "This is my friend Sam. He's a good guy. He's gonna check you over if that's alright?"

She frowned. "I told you, I'm fine."

Sam shook his head, deciding to treat her like he would Callen. "Doesn't mean you don't need to get checked out. Humor me." He swore he saw her roll her eyes before she stepped forward.

"Fine."

It was Sam's turn to stop and stare as she stepped in the room out of the shadows, giving them a clear view of her face for the first time. From the startled exclamations behind him, he knew he wasn't the only one who was surprised. He shook his head. Either this Erin had a specific type or Callen was wrong. And he was willing to bet on the latter.

"What?" Callie asked as she glanced warily at them.

"It's nothing. That's a nasty bruise there," Sam told her as he glanced at her forehead. "How's your vision? Blurry at all?" He gave a look of warning to the other two.

She shrugged as she let him sit her down on the couch. "Not anymore."

He frowned at her answer. "But there was?"

"Maybe a little after I first hit my head? It went away by the time I found the payphone."

Sam frowned and accepted the first aid kit from Deeks. He carefully checked the girl over. She winced as he shined the pen light into her eyes but the pupils were responsive. "Well, looks like nothing's broken, just battered and bruised."

"Told you so," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "What?" she asked as she glanced at Deeks and Kensi who were staring at her.

Kensi shook her head. "Sorry, you just remind me of someone I know."

She frowned at that, opening her mouth to ask who when the door opened and someone else started to walk in.

"Anyone heard anything from Eric or Nell yet?"

Callie could only stare in shock at the man who had just walked in the door. It couldn't be. Her hand rose to clutch her locket as she turned back to the large man beside her. He was gazing at her with worry in his eyes. "I think I hit my head harder than I thought," she managed to say before her eyes rolled up inside her head.

"Shit!" Sam exclaimed as he grabbed her to keep her from hitting the ground.

"What the hell?! Is she alright?" Callen asked as he hurried over to the couch, not noticing the looks Kensi and Deeks were shooting him and the girl.

"Yeah, just fainted. Must have been your ugly mug that scared her," Sam joked weakly. He'd seen the recognition on her face but how? His eyes went to the locket she clutched tightly even while unconscious.

Callen opened his mouth to respond when he finally noticed the looks everyone was giving him. "What?" Did he miss something when he was outside? He'd just needed a few minutes to try and sort everything out in peace. What could have happened in that short a period of time?

Deeks opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it. He glanced at Kensi who shrugged. So instead he just pointed toward Callie.

Callen glanced back down at the girl but couldn't see what the problem was. He frowned as he noticed something familiar about her features but put it down as resemblance to Erin. His frown deepened at the thought, as actually she didn't really look that much like Erin after all. Shaking the thought off, he glanced at his team once more.

Sam just shook his head, not saying a word. Kensi stared at him, like she was puzzling something out. Deeks looked at him, then the girl, then at him again. "Seriously? How the hell do you not see it?!"

"What?!" he practically growled.

"That's enough." All eyes turned to see Hetty standing in the doorway with Granger.

Callen swallowed his outburst as he took in the look on Hetty's face. Something big had happened. Or was about to.

Owen Granger stepped into the room and looked down at the girl. "How is she?" he asked quietly.

Sam watched him warily, unsure of his part in this whole mess. He just knew his partner was going to take this badly. "Battered and bruised but okay. She fainted when G walked in."

Granger sighed. "To be expected."

"What? Will someone please tell me what is going on?!"

Hetty came over and placed her hand on his arm. "Easy Mr. Callen. Sit down."

He frowned down at her. "Hetty-"

Callie took that moment to stir on the couch. With a groan she reached up and rubbed her eyes, before glancing around the room. "Uncle Owen?" she asked as she took in Granger. "I had the weirdest dream," she started to say before her gaze landed on Callen.

Callen watched as confusion, then recognition came across her face. He shifted under her gaze, why was she staring at him like that? He stared back into her eyes. So familiar, why were they so familiar? Erin's eyes were green, not blue. He'd only ever seen eyes that blue in..the...mirror. As realization finally hit him, he watched as her expression changed to betrayal. But not directed at him.

Callie turned her gaze back to 'Uncle Owen'. "Y-you lied to me."

"Callie," he started to say, holding his hand out to her.

She smacked it away, scrambling backward. "No! You lied to me!"

He tried again. "Let me explain."

"You told me he was dead!" She sobbed out, one hand clutching the locket around her neck. "All this time, you knew, knew where to find him and you told me he was dead."

"It was for your own good," Granger started. He stopped as a string of curses was directed at him in Gaelic, Spanish and Russian. He glared at her. "Callen Evelyn O'Rourke! Don't make me get the soap!"

Callen's eyebrows had gone up at the string of curses that escaped the girl. But it was the name Granger called her that fully snapped him out of his shock. "That's enough!" He was aware of everyone turning to stare at him but he had eyes only for the girl in front of him. His eyes stared back at him out of her face, a face he was startled to realize was a younger, softer and more feminine version of his own. Framed by shoulder length dirty blonde hair, nearly the same color as his own. How had he not seen the resemblance that everyone else had seen with one glance.

But he knew the answer to that. He hadn't been looking because he'd been too busy telling himself it was impossible. He swallowed as he gazed into eyes identical to his own, staring at him with confusion, wariness, and yes, hope. He forced himself to turn away, unable to look any longer. He couldn't give her what she wanted, what she needed.

Instead he fixed a steely glare on Granger. "Explain. Now."

Granger merely looked at him. "Not now Agent Callen."

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the girl jump slightly. But he kept his gaze fixed on Granger. "Now."

Granger gazed at him contemptuously before Hetty cleared her throat. "Fine," he said before turning and heading for the interrogation room.

Callen quickly followed on his heels, slamming the door shut behind him.

The others were left to gaze at one another in silence.

"Um, should someone be in there to keep them from killing each other?" Deeks asked after a minute. "Ow! What was that for?" He asked Kensi as he rubbed his arm. He shut up when he saw her look pointedly at Callie who was gazing around looking completely lost. "Oh."

A moment later a stubborn look of resolve came of the young girl's face as she turned and started for the door the two men had disappeared through. A small hand on her arm stopped her.

"No my dear, this is between them. You'll get your chance for answers, I promise."

"But-" Callie looked at the little old woman in confusion.

"No buts. How about a cup of tea? My name is Hetty, we spoke on the phone earlier."

Callie could only stare in confusion as she found herself seated at the table with a cup of tea in front of her. Glancing at the others in the room she got shrugs and knowing looks.

"That's Hetty for you, she's a force of nature," Deeks told her with a wink. "There's no arguing with her. Well, you could but you'd end up regretting it."

"And don't you forget it Mr. Deeks," Hetty replied as she sat down with her own cup of tea.


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

* * *

As soon as the door slammed shut behind him Callen leaned against it with his arms crossed over his chest. "Start talking," he ground out forcing himself not to move. If he did, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from taking a swing at the man in front of him.

Granger shook his head as he pulled out a chair and set down. "You are dangerously close to insubordination Agent Callen."

Callen merely glared at him. "Erin O'Rourke had no family so why is the girl calling you Uncle?" The girl. He couldn't allow himself to even think her name or he would lose it.

"And I wasn't aware that you were related to Agent Hanna's children," Granger replied sarcastically. "You don't have to be related by blood for a child to call you uncle," he reminded him.

Callen's hands tightened around his arms as it took every ounce of willpower not move and pound the crap out of Granger. "How do you know them?"

"Seamus O'Rourke was my partner. He died on a mission and I promised him I would look out for his daughter, Erin. Of course, she decided she wanted to follow in her father's footsteps. I managed to talk her out of joining the CIA, didn't want her involved with the crap that was going on there. So instead she joined the ATF. I think you know what happened from there," Granger glared at Callen. "Agent G. Callen. You ignore whatever rules get in your way. Of course, you're never the one to pay the price. You broke the rules against fraternization and she paid the price. And as if that wasn't enough then you broke her heart."

Callen briefly closed his eyes at Granger's accusation, unable to argue against it. "It was for the best. I couldn't allow another such situation to occur so I left." At least now he knew why Granger had always seemed to hate him. "The girl?"

"I think you know the answer to that."

"Why?" But Callen wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

* * *

Callie fidgeted as she glanced at the agents around her. No one was talking. She glanced back down the hall again.

Deeks caught her glance and figured it was time to distract her. "So Callie, what grade are you in? Fifth, Sixth?"

She frowned at him. "I just finished Eighth. I start High School next year."

Deeks blinked at that. "Wow, what did you do, skip a couple of grades?"

She glared at him, tired of being mistaken for being younger than she is. "No. I'm 14!"

"Really?"

Her glare deepened as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes," she ground out. "I'm just short. Stupid genes," she muttered.

"Hey, nothing wrong with being short," Deeks started to tell her. "And I think I'll shut up now," he added as he saw the look being directed at him by Hetty.

Before anyone else could say anything they were interrupted by the ringing of Hetty's phone. She answered it. "Yes Mr. Beale."

"_Hetty, we checked the footage near Erin O'Rourke's residence and got footage of the van. After running it through Kaleidoscope we found it. It appears to have been abandoned."_

"Good work Mr. Beale. Send the location to Ms. Blye and Mr. Deeks. Is there anything else?"

"_Not yet, we're still running down locations that may be owned by Connors."_

"Keep me informed." She hung up and turned to the younger agents. "You should be receiving the details now. Go check out the van, see if anything was left behind that can tell us where they are."

"Got it. Let's go Deeks," Kensi said, the two quickly getting up and leaving.

Callie looked at Hetty. "My mom?"

Hetty reached over and patted her hand comfortingly. "If there's anything to find they will find it."

Tears prickled at her eyes as she nodded and lowered her gaze. Her hand unconsciously rose to her locket.

"That's a nice locket. Can I see?" Sam asked.

Her hand tightened around it before she sighed. "I don't take it off," she told him, moving a little closer to let him see it around her neck.

Sam nodded. "Must be really important to you." It was oval in shape, silver. Nothing expensive though obviously very old. "May I?"

She nodded indicating he could open it.

He did so staring at the two pictures contained with in. On the left was a woman, obviously pretty with brown hair and green eyes. "Your mom? She's pretty," he added at her nod. The picture on the right was of a younger Callen. No wonder the girl had recognized him. He hadn't changed much, just a lot less hair. "Thank you," he told her as he closed the locket and released it.

Just then a commotion from interrogation caught everyone's attention. "Mr. Hanna," Hetty indicated, and he quickly strode down there, worried about what he would find.

* * *

"Do you really have to ask?" Granger responded to Callen's question. "You left her while she was in the hospital, wounded."

"The doctors said she would make a full recovery. I didn't see the point in drawing it out any longer."

"Yeah, full recovery. She could have but didn't. And that was your fault as well."

Callen's head shot up at that. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Granger waved him off. "Leaving that aside for the moment, what would you have done if she had told you? Stayed?"

"Yes. No. I don't know." He closed his eyes for a moment. Opening them he glared at Granger. "I wasn't giving the option. This whole time you've been here, you knew exactly who I was and you didn't say anything."

Granger got up and took a step toward him. "What was there to say? You'd already made it perfectly clear that you wanted nothing to do with Erin. You didn't even try to keep tabs on her or you would have already known about the girl."

"I had a right to know."

Granger got in his face. "You gave up that right when you walked out on her in the hospital!"

Callen lost it, grabbing fistfuls of Granger's shirt he slammed him against the wall. "I had a right to know that I have a daughter!" he roared, slamming him against the wall a second time.

The door slammed open as Sam raced in. "G!" He grabbed the smaller man, trying to drag him off of the Assistant Director.

"You gave up that right!" Granger yelled back into Callen's face as he lost his own temper. "If I had told you what would you have done? You walked out on Erin once, you would have walked out on her daughter as well. I wasn't going to let you hurt Callie as well! You'd already done enough damage to Erin!"

"I wasn't the one who shot her!"

"No but it was your fault she never recovered!"

Both men ignored Sam's efforts to separate them.

Hetty walked into the room. "What is going on in here?" But she was also ignored. With the commotion, no one noticed Callie standing in the doorway, staring wide-eyed at the two yelling men.

"The doctors all said she would make a full recovery!"

"If they could have removed the bullet but she refused the operation! She loved you and you left her so she was determined to hold onto the one piece of you she had left! She refused the operation so she could keep the baby and by the time she gave birth it was too late! So yes! It's your fault that she never recovered!"

Silence filled the room for a moment after Granger's outburst as Callen finally released his hold on the man, slumping into Sam's embrace. A broken sob drew all attention to the door. Callie stood there, tears streaming down her face as she looked from one face to the other, shaking her head.

Realization filled Granger. "Shit. Callie," he started to say. But she turned and bolted out of the door and down the hallway, slamming the door to the boat-shed open without slowing down.

Before he'd even realized he was moving, Callen was out of Sam's grip and running after her. "Wait," he called after her but she kept running. Out of the boat-shed and through the Marina. How the hell was she able to run so fast with her injuries? His eyes widened as she raced out into the intersection, giving no notice to the cars speeding by. Forcing himself to his limit he put on a burst of speed, grabbing her and pushing out of the way of a truck.

They hit the ground hard, Callen twisting his body to cushion her fall. Screeching tires and blaring horns filled the air as he cradled her against his chest. He ignored her weak attempts to push away from him and wrapped his arms tightly around her. "Are you alright?" His hands gently searched her body for injury without letting her go.

"Let me go," Callie cried weakly as sobs shook her body. "Just let me go." She placed her hands against his chest and tried to push away.

"Shh, it's okay," Callen told her, one hand rising to the back of her head, drawing it forward to rest against his chest.

That one move broke what little resistance Callie still had. Her hands stopped pushing against him, instead they fisted into his shirt as she collapsed completely against him, sobbing out all of her pain and sorrow.

Callen cradled her to him as he stood. Ignoring the people that had gathered around to inquire if they were alright, he held the girl tightly against his chest and headed for the small park across from the Marina.

So intent on his destination and the girl in his arms, he never noticed the man who stared at them before glancing down at a photo on his phone. A moment later the man stepped to the side, his phone now against his ear as he kept an eye on the entrance to the park.


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

Author Note: I know the boat-shed is located in a Marina though I don't really know where. I have no idea if there is really a park nearby but for the sake of this fic let's pretend there is.

* * *

Granger watched as Callen vanished out of the door after Callie. He started to follow as well.

"Not so fast Owen," Hetty stepped in front of him. "I think you've said enough for the moment. Let Mr. Callen go after her for now, give her a chance to calm down."

"Why? So he can get her hopes up only to crush them?" Granger scoffed. "Move out of the way Henrietta. I'm going after them before he hurts her."

Sam stepped into the doorway, blocking it. "The only one I see hurting her is you. G would never hurt a kid. Not the way you just did."

Granger glared at him.

"Thank you Mr. Hanna, but I can take it from here," Hetty inserted before he could open his mouth. "If you would give us some privacy."

"Sure thing Hetty," Sam said with one last glare at Granger.

"Spare me the lecture Henrietta," Granger said as he wiped his hand across his face.

"Oh, no lecture from me Owen. I think you're doing a fine job of castigating yourself." Hetty sat down and studied the man in front of her.

Granger sighed and sat down across from her, slumping into the seat. "I never meant to hurt her, I didn't mean for her to hear that."

"I know. You were just trying to cause Mr. Callen as much pain as you could. But you didn't anticipate the collateral damage."

He leaned forward, resting his head in his hands. "I just wanted him to feel a fraction of the pain that he put Erin through."

Hetty gave him a searching look. "She means a lot to you."

"Her and Callie both. Seamus died saving my life. As he laid dying I promised him I would look after Erin for him, and I've done my best. She's like a niece or a little sister to me." He chuckled slightly. "She made me Callie's godfather. I've always tried to do my best to protect them, but it doesn't look like I've succeeded very well."

"We can't protect them from everything, especially when it comes to matters of the heart," Hetty said sagely. She paused before continuing. "Mr. Callen did deserve to know the truth."

Granger shook his head. "I doubt it would have made a difference. You and I both know that he prefers to be alone."

Hetty shook her head. "I don't think prefer is the right word, more like it is all he's ever really known. And you don't give him enough credit. He's spent his entire life searching for answers, for family, not knowing where he came from. Perhaps a child would have filled part of that void."

Granger lifted his head to fix her with a serious gaze. "After this is all over, do you really think he's going to be a part of Callie's life? You and I both know he's going to push her away, for her own protection of course. That's just the way he is."

Hetty sighed. "For all of their sakes I hope to God that you are wrong Owen."

* * *

Callen carried Callie over to a picnic table near some trees, thankful that the park was fairly empty. Setting her down on the bench, he let his eyes roam over her but didn't spot any new injuries. Her sobbing had finally ceased. "Are you alright?" he asked again.

"I'm fine," she said quietly, unable to look at him.

"He didn't mean it." The words slipped out before he even realized what he was saying. Why was he defending Granger of all people?

She drew in on herself, arms wrapping around her torso. "Yes he did. He blames me for Mom's injury. If I hadn't been born she would have gotten better, she would have been able to return to her job."

"Hey, he didn't blame you. He was blaming me."

"Yeah, for getting her pregnant with me." Tears began to form in her eyes again. "Mom probably blames me too. It would have been better if I was never born."

"Don't talk like that!" Callen said more harshly than he intended. He knelt down in front of her, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Hey, your mom loves you, of that I am certain. There is no way she would have ever decided to do anything that would have jeopardized your life, even before you were born."

Callie stared at him. "How can you be so sure? You didn't want me either."

He reeled back in shock, both from the words and the despair he could see in her eyes. "That's not true."

"You never came," she said, her gaze focused back on the ground. "All of the other kids knew who their parents were but all I had was a picture. And Mom wouldn't tell me anything."

He was reeling from her words, long buried emotions surging to the surface. He was a little boy again, watching all of the other kids who knew who they were, where they came from. He didn't even know his first name. And all he could wonder was where his family was. Why had they left him, didn't they want him? And now he saw that same question being reflected in Callie's eyes.

He swallowed the lump in his throat as he struggled to push the memories and feelings away, to rebury them. "I didn't know," was all he could offer her. Her eyes lifted to him once more. He winced at the undisguised hope he saw shining there.

"And now?"

Callen swallowed again. What was he supposed to say? He didn't want to crush that hope, not like it had been in him. But what did he have to offer her but a life filled with danger? He had too many enemies who would think nothing of using her to get back at him. And then there was the Comescu family. There was no way they had gotten every member of that family. They would be back for him one day and if they learned about Callie- No, he couldn't risk it.

He gave her a weak smile. "We'll talk about that later, okay? When your mom is back." He watched as her gaze dropped back to the ground and she gave a small nod. "Why don't I go get us something to drink before we head back, alright?" She shrugged. "I'll be right over there," he gestured at the nearby food vendor.

Once he had left, Callie brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as she let the tears flow. She had seen it in his face, he wasn't going to stay. She couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with her. Why didn't he want her?

Callen sighed as he turned back to look at her after paying for the bottles of water. Was he making the right decision? He continued to stare at her huddled figure until his phone ringing shook him from his thoughts. "Callen," he answered.

"_Everything alright G?"_ came his partner's voice.

"She's fine, I managed to catch her before she got hit by a truck. We're at the park."

"_And you?"_

"I'm fine, not a scratch on me," he purposefully misinterpreted the question.

"_That's not what I meant. It's not everyday you discover you're a father. How are you handling it?"_

"How do you think?"

"_That bad huh? What are you gonna do?"_

"Drop it Sam."

"_G-"_

"Just, drop it, please," he let some of the pain, confusion and misery he was feeling seep into his voice.

Sam sighed. _"I'll let it go for now but this isn't over. Don't do anything stupid that you're gonna regret,"_ he warned.

"I've got to go Sam, we'll be back in a few." With that he ended the call and headed back to Callie.

* * *

Sam shook his head as put his phone away. "Stubborn fool," he muttered. Why couldn't his partner ever let himself be happy? He looked up as the monitor beeped and Eric appeared on it. "You got something for us Eric?"

"Maybe, we heard back from Kensi and Deeks. The van was torched, we're not going to get any clues from the vehicle itself. But it was a rental, registered to a Michael Kincaid. Now Michael Kincaid was a known associate of Patrick Connors. I checked his phone and there have been several calls to the same number."

"Connors?"

"We think so," Nell came into the picture. "Unfortunately, the phone is off and we can't trace it. But we did manage to see the most recent calls. As far as we can tell most of the numbers are local, belonging to common street thugs."

"Hired muscle," Sam put in. "Any chance of tracking them? Some of them should be with Connors and Erin." Hopefully they'd lead them to where Connors was holding Erin O'Rourke.

"Already on it," Eric confirmed. "The majority of the cellphones are in close proximity to one another. Narrowing down the location now." The computer beeped and a look of confusion came across his face. "Sam, they're only a few blocks away from the boat-shed."

Realization filled Sam. "They're after Callie. Hetty! Eric's got news! I've gotta get to G!" With that he turned and ran out of the boat-shed, praying he'd make it to his partner in time.


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

* * *

"Here," Callen said as he held out one of the water bottles.

"Thanks." Callie took but didn't open it. Didn't even look at him.

He sighed. "You ready to head back?"

She shrugged turning her head away.

The skin on the back of his neck prickled and he started looking around. "Come on, it's not a good idea to be out in the open right now." He reached down to pull her up but she wasn't listening. Her gaze was focused on something to the side.

"T-that's one of the men from last night," Callie said, her eyes wide.

"What?!" Callen's head shot up and he spotted the man she was talking about. And he wasn't alone. "Shit!" He swore as he spotted the other men circling around, trying to box them in. He drew his weapon as he tugged Callie to her feet and behind him. "Stay close." His eyes widened as he saw one of them pull a gun. Acting quickly he flipped the table on it's side, pulling Callie down behind it just as the bullets started flying at them.

The few other park visitors screamed and ran off. Callen gave a silent count then popped his head up. "Federal Agent!" he announced as he shot the shooter. But that only caused several of the others to draw their own weapons and fire. He quickly dove back behind the table, covering Callie with his own body as the bullets tore through the thin protection the table provided.

"No you idiots! The boss wants them alive!"

Callen glanced back over the table as the bullets stopped flying. The men were now running toward them. "Come on," he said as he got up, pulling Callie with him and pushing her in front of him. Urging her toward the trees, they began to run, Callen turning and firing back at their pursuers as he did but keeping his body between them and Callie.

But just before they reached the trees, Callen was tackled to the ground, his gun sent flying. "Run Callie!" he yelled as he rolled over and punched his attacker. Grappling for a few seconds, he got the upper hand and reached for his gun. Rising to his feet he stopped as he heard the sound of a safety being clicked off.

"Drop it or the next bullet is for her."

Callen turned to see another man holding a gun to Callie's head. He froze as her fear-filled eyes met his. "Connors wants her alive," he stalled.

The man shrugged. "Doesn't have to be a fatal shot. And even if it is, I think he'll forgive me when he sees you. Now drop it." He emphasized his point by pressing the gun harder to Callie's head, causing a slight whimper to escape her.

Callen let the gun drop. "You've got me," he said as hands grabbed him and started searching him, removing his backup and phone. "Let her go." His hands were tightly cuffed behind his back.

"Can't do that, she's our insurance that you'll behave. Besides, the boss has a little reunion planned for you. Wouldn't want to ruin the party by not having one of the guests of honor show up, now would we boys?" Several of the thugs laughed at that.

Callen relaxed slightly as the gun was lowered away from the girl's head. The man kept a tight grip on her arm but at least the gun was no longer pointed at her.

"As for you, you little Bitch, you caused me a lot of trouble by running away last night," he glared at her before backhanding her across the face and sending her falling to the ground with a small cry.

Callen surged forward only to be stopped by the hands holding him. He fixed his glare on the man who had struck Callie. "You're going to regret that."

"I seriously doubt that," he said as he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to her feet before cuffing her hands behind her back as well. "Let's go." He gave her a shove forward while still keeping her close to him and away from the federal agent.

As he was forced to follow, Callen stared at the dazed expression on her face, the blood dripping from her split lip and the bruise already starting to form. This was his worst fears coming true, an innocent being dragged into danger because of him. 'I'll get you out of this, somehow,' he vowed silently as they were led to a van. He glared at the men as they roughly thew her inside. He thought he heard his partner's voice but before he could look or do anything there was a sudden pain across the back of his head and then everything went black.

* * *

Sam raced through the Marina on foot, bursting out of the gates and across the intersection, paying no mind to the screeching tires and blaring horns as he dodged the speeding vehicles. His eyes widened as he spotted the group of men toss Callie into the back of a van, his partner surrounded. "Federal Agent!" he identified, his weapon drawn and aimed as he ducked behind a parked car. Several of the men turned and started firing in his direction. He carefully returned fire only to see his partner hit over the head with the butt of one of a gun and tossed into the van. The other men jumped in, still shooting and the van took off.

Sam rose from his cover, firing at the rear tires but the van sped off. He pulled out his phone, dialing Ops. "Eric, they've got G and Callie. Gray van, windowless, no plates. Took off from the park across from the Marina."

"_Got it, checking footage now and entering the search into Kaleidoscope."_

He looked up as Granger came jogging over to him. "What happened?"

"They took them, Eric's looking for the van now." Something caught his eye and he walked further into the park. "Look's like G managed to take out a couple of them." He checked the bodies and shook his head. "Won't be getting any answers from them. Eric, gonna need a coroner and LAPD here to cover the scene."

"Damn it," Granger swore. "Wait, is Eric still tracking there phones?"

Sam put the phone on speaker. "Eric, you catch that?"

"_LAPD units already on route, they'll take over at the park. And yes, still tracking the hired guns phones. Should be able to follow them to wherever they're taking Callen and the girl."_

"Send me the directions, I'm going after them now." Sam started back across to the Marina and his car.

"Wait," Granger said. "They'll be heading to meet Connors, probably wherever he's holding Erin. We wait for them to reach their destination and we'll get them all at once. It's our best chance to save all three of them."

Sam glared at him, not wanting to wait while his partner and a child were in danger. But he said nothing, knowing Granger was right. "I want a location as soon as they stop Eric," he said as they reached the boat-shed. He shook his head at Kensi and Deeks as they came running up to them. "And have a tactical team on standby, as soon as we have a location we're going in."

"_Got it."_

Sam entered the boat-shed and went straight for where the weapons and body armor were kept. He pulled out his vest and pulled it on before checking the assault rifle and grabbing ammo. Kensi and Deeks joined him.

Hetty stood to one side. "I will return to headquarters, monitor the situation from Ops. Bring them back to us."

Sam gave her a tight nod as he continued checking over his equipment.

She turned to look at Granger. He shook his head and pulled off his jacket. Grabbing a spare vest he pulled it on.

Hetty nodded at him. "Good luck," she told them all and turned and walked out of the door.

Sam and the others turned to look at Granger. He met there looks calmly as he grabbed and checked over an assault rifle. Sam studied him carefully before nodding. "Just don't get in our way."

"I have no intention of doing so."

The four continued their tasks in silence after that. A while later the monitor beeped and Eric came on screen. "Got them. Abandoned factory. It's actually not far from where you picked up the girl this morning."

Nell came into view. "Tactical team is on their way."

Sam nodded. "Tell them not to move in. They wait for my signal."

"You got it."

He turned to the others. "Let's go." They had a teammate to save.


	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

Author Note: I don't know how to write accents, especially Irish ones. So just imagine that Connors speaks with a heavy Irish accent, ok?

* * *

Callie huddled next to the prone body of the NCIS agent. Her father. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the blood dripping from his head wound. This was all of her fault. They were after her. Tears slipped silently down her face. If she hadn't run out they wouldn't have found her and he wouldn't have been captured, injured. If she hadn't been born her mother would have been able to fight, probably get away herself. It was all of her fault.

She ignored the throbbing of her cheek, the taunting of the men around them. Her focus remained on the unconscious man beside her. Why wasn't he waking up? How badly was he injured. 'Please don't die,' she thought. He couldn't die, not now. She'd only just found him.

She didn't even realize the van had stopped until the doors slid open and rough hands grabbed her, dragging her away. "No!" She struggled, not wanting to be separated from him. A hand impacted her face and she slumped in their hold, black spots dancing in her vision as a cry of pain escaped her.

But despite the pain she noticed as Callen suddenly moved, lashing out with his feet at her attacker. Pushing himself up, he made to tackle one of the men.

Callie cried out as her hair was painfully yanked back and something cold was pressed to her throat. Through blurry vision she watched Callen go still before slumping in defeat as two men grabbed his arms.

"Very good Roberts or whatever your name really is," a voice came from behind her said.

"Connors," Callen said, his eyes hard as he gazed behind her. "You've got me, let the girl go."

"I think not." The pressure on her scalp vanished as the man behind her stepped in front of her. He wore an expensive suit, his black hair combed neatly back. His face would have been considered handsome but for the ugly star puckering his left cheek. He reached out, gently fingering a strand of her hair, brushing it back from her face. "She's a pretty little thing, isn't she?"

Callie flinched back slightly at his words and actions. She saw Callen tense.

"But a bit young for me. Pity she's not a few years older. I'd have had some fun with her," Connors sneered at the agent.

Callie recoiled away from the man as his meaning sunk in. For once in her life she was thankful that she appeared younger than she was as she didn't know how young was too young for this sick creep.

A look of black fury came over Callen's face and he would have lunged forward if not for the men holding him in place. "You sick son of a bitch! Don't you touch her!"

Connors stepped away from the girl, stopping in front of the agent and punched him in the stomach. Callen sagged slightly in captors grips as the air was driven out of his lungs. "You're in no position to make demands. Besides, I've already said she's too young for that. But I'm sure I could find someone who has no such qualms. Perhaps you'd care to watch?" He laughed before punching him in the face.

"Bring them," Connors told his men as he walked deeper into the empty factory. "I believe it's time for a little reunion."

The two were roughly dragged in Connors wake. Callie's eyes went wide with shock as she stared at the figure lying in the center of the room. "M-mom?" She barely felt the hands release her, the next thing she knew she was kneeling next to the barely recognizable figure. There was so much blood. Every inch of her body seemed to be bleeding. If not for the slight rise and fall of her chest she'd think she was dead. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Mommy?"

The figure stirred and bloodshot green eyes opened to fix on her face. "Callie, m'baby," the voice slurred. She raised a shaking hand to gently brush against the girl's cheek.

Sobs shook Callie's body as everything else faded away. "Mom, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she sobbed.

"Shh, not your fault."

"Yes it is! If I hadn't been born you'd have been able to fight, they wouldn't have gotten you."

"Look at me."

Callie slowly opened her eyes and met her mother's gaze.

"Never say that. I've never regretted your existence. You are my miracle, my Beannacht."

Callie's eyes teared as her mother called her a blessing.

"As touching as this is, you're making me sick," Connors drawled before motioning to his men. One grabbed Callie, dragging her away from Erin.

"Mom!"

The other man grabbed Erin, dragging her to her feet as well. A moan of pain escaped her and she lifted her head to glare at Connors. Her eyes went wide as she spotted the man behind him.

In the meantime, Callen had taken the time to retrieve the safety pin from his belt and was slowly working on picking the lock on his cuffs. He had to be ready to move at the first chance. As he saw Erin's gaze focus on him he nodded at her, swallowing the lump in his throat as he took in her condition and the amount of blood coating her and the floor. She didn't have much time. He watched as she glanced at Callie before looking at him once more, an apology written in her eyes.

'I understand,' he mouthed back at her. He watched a look of relief come across her face.

Connors chose that moment to start speaking again. "You two cost me a lot all of those years ago. I've had a long time to plan my revenge, and now you've given me the perfect means." He reached into his pocket and drew out a gun. He turned to face Callen, who straightened, bracing himself. "Choose."

A cloud of confusion settled over Callen. "What?"

Connors gestured and Callie and Erin were dragged to stand next to one another. "Choose," he repeated, gesturing at them with the gun.

Callen's eyes went wide. He couldn't possibly be saying-

"Choose which one of them dies."

Callen could only stare at them, unable to speak. What was he supposed to do? He saw Erin trying to meet his gaze, knew what she wanted him to say but he couldn't make his mouth move. He forced his fingers to work faster.

"If you don't choose, I'll have to do it." Connors pointed the gun first at Erin then at Callie who stared wide-eyed at him.

"M-me," Erin said weakly. "S-shoot me. L-leave her out of t-this."

"I thought you'd say that," Connors said as he aimed the gun at Erin. A look of relief came across her features only to vanish as a cruel smile twisted his face and he shifted his aim to Callie. "That would be too easy." He fired.

Several things happened at once. The doors burst open with a cry of "Federal Agents, drop the weapons!"

Callen finally freed one hand from the cuffs and turned on the men holding him, taking one out, grabbing his gun and shooting the other.

And Erin gathered the last of her strength to tear herself away from the man holding her, pushing herself into the path of the bullet aimed at her daughter.

Callie collapsed under her mother's weight, something warm and sticky hitting her in the face. "M-mom?" she called as she managed to shift her mother off of her. "Mom! Wake up!" she cried as she took in Erin's pale face, her eyes closed and a peaceful smile on her face. "Mom," she sobbed brokenly ignoring the shouts and gunfire that surrounded them.

Callen briefly closed his eyes as her cries reached him. He pushed it away, there would be time for grieving later. Right now he had to get to her, she wasn't safe sitting there in the open. But he was currently pinned down behind a piece of machinery. He popped out from behind it, managing to take out one of the men shooting at him. He quickly scanned the area, spotting the rest of his team and Granger as they worked their way towards them. This was taking too long, Callie was too exposed. He glanced back at her and his blood froze in his veins as he saw Connors approaching her. He turned his aim on him only to have to duck back behind cover as Connors' men took aim at him once more.

Callie was lost in her grief, her awareness centered on her mother. It wasn't until hands roughly grabbed her, dragging her away from Erin's corpse that she reacted. "No!" She struggled in their grip only to be struck in the face. Dazed, she was dragged away, stumbling backwards up some metal stairs.

Callen cursed as he saw Connors grab Callie, using her as a human shield. He watched as he dragged her up the stairs to the catwalk. His team was too far away to get to her. He rose, knowing he was her only chance only to have to duck again. He turned to face his team, his eyes meeting Sam's.

Sam nodded at him, knowing what his partner needed. Stepping out from behind cover, he fired at the men pinning Callen down, Granger doing the same, giving the agent a chance to make a break for the stairs. A moment later they ducked back behind cover as shots peppered where they had been standing seconds earlier. The two men shared a look. This was taking too long.

Callen raced up the stairs and along the catwalks. "Let her go Connors," he ordered, gun aimed at the other man's head. He pushed down the rage and fear he felt as Connors held a gun to Callie's head.

"I don't think so, she's my ticket out of here." Connors backed up another step, dragging the girl with him.

Callen tightened his grip on the gun. "The building's surrounded. You won't make it 10 feet. You'd be better off giving yourself up." The gunfire from below had tapered off, he knew they'd be having company soon.

Connors glanced behind himself for a second. Then pressed the gun harder against Callie's head. "We've been in this situation before, you couldn't shoot me then, you won't shoot me now. Unless she doesn't mean as much to you as her mother did." He smirked at the agent.

Callen forced his emotions away, refusing to let the man's taunts get to him. He kept his eyes locked on Connors' face. He wasn't sure what he saw, a change in expression, a blink. Whatever it was, he knew what was coming.

Connors suddenly pulled the gun away from Callie, aiming instead at the agent in front of him. Before he could pull the trigger a bullet entered his brain, the force spinning him around and sending him over the railing of the catwalk to the hard cement floor down below.

Callen lowered the gun as Callie collapsed to the floor of the catwalk. He took a moment to calm his racing heart, get his emotions locked firmly under control. "Callie?" he called. Receiving no answer, he took a step toward the shell-shocked teen who was just starting to push herself up. He froze as a metallic groan filled the air. "Don't move!"

It was too late. With a horrific sound, the section of the old, metal structure that Callie was on tore itself away, falling to the ground.

Callen threw himself forward, his arms wrapping around her, keeping her from following it to the ground. He held her tightly by her upper arms as she dangled there for a second before he managed to pull her back onto the still stable section of catwalk. They collapsed there in a heap and he pulled her into his lap as she shook.

"G!"

"Callen!"

"You alright?!"

He heard the calls but couldn't answer them. Not yet. His entire focus was on the girl in his arms. "It's okay, I've got you. Everything's going to be alright now. I'm here," he murmured to her as he pulled her tightly against his chest, his chin resting on the top of her head. "I'm here, моя дочь," he told her.

At his words Callie froze, turning her face to stare at him. "Y-you called me your d-daughter," she breathed.

Callen pushed aside the knowledge that she spoke Russian. "Because you are. I'm here now, it's going to be alright."

She sobbed, trying to wrap her arms around him but the cuffs prevented it. Her struggles grew worse as she tried to move but couldn't.

"Shh, it's okay, I'll have you free in a minute." He made swift work of picking the lock and her arms came around him tightly as she sobbed into his chest.

"M-mom. S-she's d-dead."

He closed his eyes in grief. "I know, I'm sorry. But I'm not going anywhere, I promise." He rocked her against his chest.

"G?!" He heard again, followed by footsteps on the stairs.

"Stay back! I don't know how stable the rest of this structure is!" He called. The footsteps stopped. He turned his attention back to the girl in his arms. "Come on, we've got to get down from here." He stood, holding her close to him.

Callie's legs shook as she stared at the hole she had nearly fallen through. Only Callen's arms around her kept her on her feet. "I h-hate heights," she muttered weakly. With that one sentence she found herself swung up into his arms once more, her face pressed into his neck.

"Don't look," he told her as he carefully made his way back to the stairs. He gave his team a nod of thanks and reassurance as he reached them. "Keep your eyes closed, don't look," he told her again as he reached the bottom, not wanting her to see the bodies littering the area. He met Granger's eyes and received a look of acknowledgment and a nod of respect.

Sam stepped up to him. "Paramedics are outside, you want me to take her?"

His hands automatically tightened around her. "No, I've got this."

His partner met his eyes and smiled. "Yeah, you do." He clapped him on the shoulder and led the way outside.


	11. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

Author Note: A bit angsty at first but Callie did just watch her mother die. Other than that I'm not sure how believable her reaction is. Please let me know what you think. And yes, I know that's not how someone from CPS would act in real life, I have nothing against them this is just the way the story played out in my mind.

And thank you to everyone who has left a review or added this to their favorites or alerts. I'm glad you seem to be enjoying it.

* * *

Callie sat in the back of the ambulance as one of the EMTs checked her over. "Hey, sweetheart," the older man said. "Doesn't look too bad, you're gonna be just fine," he reassured her after he shined a penlight into her eyes. He reached over and grabbed something, twisting it before pressing it to the side of her face. She flinched away from the cold. "Easy honey, it'll help. Can you hold it there for me?"

She nodded, accepting it and pressing it to her cheek. He was right, it did feel better after a few seconds.

"Good. You just hold that right there, alright?"

She nodded and he gave her another smile before stepping out of the vehicle. Her eyes swept past where he stood talking to another EMT to the flurry of activity taking place near the building. It was getting dark now but there was still enough light for her to see. Her eyes tracked over all of the people moving around, searching for a familiar face. She spotted the other agents first, Deeks, Kensi and Sam. But her eyes kept moving, kept searching.

There he was, in the center of the activity. Talking to the cops. Another familiar face was there but she ignored it, she couldn't bare to look at Uncle Owen right now. Would he blame her for her mother's death?

Instead Callie kept her gaze focused on her father. It felt strange to even think it, she had a father. She stared at him, willing him to turn around, to look at her. But he didn't.

Tears stung her eyes. He'd promised he wasn't going anywhere. But then he'd left her here. Mom was gone, she'd-

Callie closed her eyes as she let the thought form. Mom was dead. What was going to happen to her now? Her eyes returned to Callen but still he didn't turn. She slumped. He wouldn't want her, not now. Despite what he'd said earlier, she'd seen his face when she questioned him before this whole mess. He didn't want her then, why would he want her now, after she'd already gotten her mother killed. Mom had taken the bullet meant for her, it was her fault she was dead. He probably thought she'd get him killed too.

She drew her knees up to her chest as she let the cold pack drop to the ground. She was all alone now.

Raised voices drew her attention back to the door of the ambulance. "Hey, you can't go in there lady!" She looked up to see a woman in a pants suit being blocked by the EMTs. There were two large men, also in suits with her.

The woman took out her I.D. "I'm Angela Simmons with the Los Angeles Child Protective Services. I was told that there is a child in there who has just been orphaned. I'm here to take her into custody."

Orphaned. The word echoed in Callie's mind as the last bit of hope in her died.

The two EMTs exchanged an uncomfortable look. "Did you clear that with the feds?" the one who had been treating her asked. They had been told not to let anyone near the girl.

The woman shot him a nasty look. "I don't need anyone to tell me how to do my job. Now has she been checked out and cleared to leave?"

"Yeah, she's alright, just some cuts and bruises though she is suffering from shock which is to be expected." He ran his hand through his hair. "Look, I still think you should clear this with those federal agents first."

"And you need to stay out of my business." Simmons turned to Callie. "Callen, correct? I need you to come with me."

But Callie wasn't paying any attention, lost in her own mind and depression.

Simmons grew impatient. "Didn't you hear me? I said you're coming with me, now let's go!"

"Hey, be a little nicer, she just watched her mother die," the EMT told her.

Simmons ignored him, reaching over to grab the girl's arm. "I said let's go!"

Callie recoiled as she felt the hand grab her arm. "Let me go!" She swung her arm out, connecting with the woman's face more by luck than anything else.

Simmons released her, glaring at her. "You little brat!" She gestured to the two men with her. "Stevens, Jacobs."

Callie scrambled back as the two men entered the ambulance. "No! Leave me alone!"

* * *

Deeks sighed as he watched Callen ordering the various cops and other feds around. "Think he's gonna be okay?"

Kensi shrugged. "I hope so, this has been a hard day for him."

"Yeah, today sucks. Though there was one good thing out of this whole mess. What do you think he's going to do?" He turned to look back at the ambulance.

"It's not really our business Deeks."

But he wasn't listening. "We got trouble," he said, already heading for the commotion he could see.

"What?" Kensi turned and swore. "Sam!" she called, hurrying after her partner.

"There a problem here?" Deeks asked as he took in the scene. The EMTs were looking disgruntled, standing off to the side of the vehicle. Directly in front of the open doors was an angry looking woman, a red mark forming on her cheek. Inside he could see two large men in suits, with Callie cowering in the corner. His hand inched toward his weapon.

The woman turned to him. "Who the hell are you?" she snapped.

"Marty Deeks, LAPD. What's going on here?"

Callie's head shot up at the familiar voice and she scrambled out of her corner. "Marty! I don't want to go with them!" She tried to run to him only for one of the men in the ambulance to grab her. "Let me go!"

That did it. Deeks drew his sidearm, Kensi copying his actions as she arrived. "Let the girl go."

"This isn't your concern," the woman said.

"Like hell it's not! Who the hell are you lady?"

"Angela Simmons, LA CPS. I'm here to take the child into custody."

"On who's authority?" Kensi questioned.

"That's none of your concern."

"Bullshit. She's a witness in a federal investigation, she's not going anywhere."

Simmons sneered at them. "I thought all of the bad guys were dead." She looked at them with disgust. "You cops are all the same, shooting first, making more work for me." She drew out some papers. "This is a court order stating that the girl is to come with me."

Kensi and Deeks exchanged a look, hesitating.

Simmons took that hesitation as acceptance. "Let's go." The two men climbed out of the ambulance, one of them pulling Callie out with him by her arm.

"No!" Callie struggled in his grip, causing the other man to grab her other arm. "Let me go! I don't want to go with you!"

Deeks opened his mouth to object when there was a blur of movement. He blinked and one of the men was on the ground, unconscious and Callen stood there pointing his weapon at the other. "Let her go," he said dangerously.

The man took one look into Callen's eyes and released the girl.

Callie staggered, only to find herself being pulled up against a familiar chest as Callen twisted his body to shield her from sight.

"I've had enough of these interruptions. I have a court order to bring that girl into the custody of the Los Angeles Child Protective Services."

If it was possible Callen's eyes hardened even further, his blue eyes like ice as he focused his gaze on Simmons and shifted his aim to her. "You're not taking my daughter anywhere!"

Callie gasped at his possessive tone, staring up at his face as his arm tightened around her. Did he really mean it?

But all of his attention was on Simmons.

"What?!" She did a double take as she took in the clear resemblance between the two for the first time. "I was told she's an orphan."

"You were told wrong," Sam said as he joined them, adding his intimidating bulk to the mix.

Simmons didn't know which way to look as she stood there gaping like a fish. "But I have a court order," she whined.

Granger stepped forward out of the crowd of onlookers. "Agent Callen, why don't you take **your** daughter **home**?" he said pointedly. "I can handle the rest here."

Callen gave him a look of surprise before nodding to him gratefully as he finally put his weapon away. He swung Callie up into his arms and turned to walk away, Sam falling into step beside him.

"But-"

"Ms. Simmons, I am Owen Granger, the Assistant Director of NCIS. He is definitely that girl's father, and what's more, as Erin O'Rourke's next of kin I can confirm that it was definitely her wish that the girl end up with her father in the eventuality of her mother's untimely death. I would suggest you let this matter drop or you won't like the consequences."

Anything else that was said was missed as the three passed out of hearing range. Callen paused as he felt Callie's hand come up to grip his shirt. He looked down to see her staring up at him in confusion. "It's ok моя дочь, I'm here." He let one hand rise to stroke the back of her head. She gave him a weak smile before resting her against his shoulder. He continued to stroke her hair as he followed his partner to the Challenger. A moment later she was asleep in his arms, worn out from the day's events and the emotions they had caused.

He paused as they reached the car, staring down at her. He didn't want to let her go. He glanced at the Challenger. This wasn't going to work.

"Got you wrapped around her finger already, huh?"

Callen glanced up at his partner's smirking face. "What?"

"You don't want to put her down, you're afraid she'll disappear if you do."

He gaped at him.

"I'm a father G. Trust me, that's normal."

Callen sighed. "I don't know if I can do this."

"See, I told you to stop eating all of that junk food. It's making you too weak to carry a tiny thing like her."

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

Sam sighed as his partner's doubts rose to the surface. "Then why didn't you let CPS take her?"

He shot Sam a glare. "You know why! I wasn't going to let her go through the hell I did!"

Sam shot him a grin. "Then you've already made your decision G. Trust me, you can do this. It's scary as hell but the rewards are worth it."

Callen wasn't so sure, then he felt Callie's head move on his shoulder and looked down at her. He sighed, he had to make this work, for her sake. She was trusting him to make it work.

Sam gave him another knowing look as he saw him staring at the girl's face. He turned as Deeks and Kensi joined them.

"Granger told us to head back to headquarters." Kensi looked between the two. "Thought you'd have already left."

"G's trying to figure out how to get in the car without having to put her down. Looks awfully comfortable, doesn't she?"

Callen shot him a glare but there was no real heat to it.

Deeks snorted. "Good luck with that, there's no room in that backseat."

Sam shot him a look. "You got something to say about my car?"

"Just saying from experience, he's not going to be able to get in the back without waking her up."

Sam looked like he wanted to say something else but Kensi interrupted first. "Enough. Callen I've got room in the back," she offered.

Callen glanced at Sam who nodded at him. "Thanks Kensi. See you back at headquarters?"

Sam nodded and opened his door. But he stopped to watch as Callen gently laid Callie down on the backseat, carefully strapping her in before sliding in next to her and lifting her head up to rest on his lap. He smiled knowingly. This was just what his partner needed, someone to care for, to live for. He shot the two younger agents a look and they nodded their understanding before getting into the vehicle as well. With that, Sam climbed into his own car and pulled out.

Callen spent the trip back to headquarters in silence, simply staring at his daughter's sleeping face. He paid no attention to other two's quiet bickering, had no idea if they tried to engage him in conversation. His entire focus was on the girl in his lap. He was terrified that he was going to mess this up.

She frowned in her sleep, whimpering a little.

He stroked her hair to calm her, whispering to her "I'm here, моя дочь. I'm here," until she calmed.

He didn't know if he'd made the right decision but the decision was made and he was going to stick to it. "I'm here," he whispered again. "And I'm not going anywhere."


	12. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

Author's Note: I'd really appreciate some feedback on this chapter. I'm not sure about how I portrayed Callen here. Is he too out of character? And there are at least a couple of more chapters after this, how many I'm not sure yet.

* * *

It was the car stopping and the engine shutting off that finally drew Callen's attention away from the sleeping girl. He blinked in confusion as he took in their location. "Why are we here?" He'd figured they'd be going to the boat-shed.

Kensi and Deeks shared a look. "I told you, Granger and Hetty wanted us back at Headquarters."

Callen frowned, looking down at Callie. "But-" Outsiders weren't allowed to know where Headquarters was, it was too dangerous. This was against protocol.

"It was cleared by Hetty and Granger," Kensi told him, understanding what he was thinking.

He nodded, letting the subject drop. Besides, Callie was asleep and after the day's events the chances of her waking up any time soon were miniscule. She'd have no way of learning the actual location. With that thought, he slid out from under her and climbed out of the car. She stirred slightly but settled down as he reached in and lifted her back into his arms. He quietly followed Deeks and Kensi inside.

Hetty stood just inside the door waiting for them. "Welcome back," she told them. He nodded at her. The other two looked between her and Callen before heading into the bullpen where Sam was already seated at his desk. Hetty stepped closer to the senior agent. "How is she?"

"She'll be alright," he answered as he tenderly brushed some hair away from her face.

Hetty noted the action with a small smile. "And you?"

Callen gave her a grin. "You know me Hetty. I've had worse from when Sam supposedly pulls his punches."

She shook her head at him. "I'm sorry we weren't in time to save Ms. O'Rourke."

A sigh escaped him and he headed over to the lounge area, gently laying the teenager onto the couch. He accepted the blanket Hetty handed him, draping it over her. "Me too, but she's at peace. She gave her life for Callie."

Hetty studied him as he stood there, staring at the sleeping girl. "And what do you plan to do now?"

"She's mine Hetty. I'm keeping her."

The Operations Manager rolled her eyes at his choice of words. "She is not a stray dog that you take in off of the streets Mr. Callen. Are you prepared for the trials that lie ahead of you?"

His head rose to fix the small woman with a serious look. "I'm the only family she has left. I am not letting her go into the system."

She nodded thoughtfully. "I know how you feel about the system after the way it failed you. But is that your only reason?"

His gaze dropped back down to Callie and he knelt down beside her, one hand reaching out to rest on hers. His eyes closed as she unconsciously squeezed his hand.

Hetty reached down and patted their joined hands. "I didn't think so. Rest assured you will have whatever support you need Mr. Callen." She turned to walk away.

"Hetty," he called and she paused. "Why did you have us come back here?"

"I thought that she would be more comfortable here than at your house. At least here she has a couch to sleep on. That is a situation that you will have to rectify in the very near future. Oh, and you owe me some paperwork." With that she continued to walk away.

Callen shook his head as she left. He gave Callie's hand a squeeze and whispered "I'm here." Then he stood and headed over to the bullpen.

He stopped as he spotted Eric and Nell at the base of the stairs. "Good work today," he told them. "I owe you."

"No problem," Nell told him.

"You'd have done the same for us," Eric added. "It's what we do, look out for one another."

He thanked them again, then entered the bullpen, heading for his desk. The rest of the team looked up as he approached.

"Thank you," he said simply, meeting each of their gazes.

"It's what teams are there for G," Sam waved him off.

"You helped me catch my dad's murderer, even when I didn't want your help," Kensi added.

Deeks shrugged. "It was the right thing to do. You'd have done the same for us, have in the past."

With that they turned back to their paperwork. Callen took a few deep breaths to get his emotions back under control then reached into his own pile of paperwork. But he found himself constantly turning to check on Callie, making sure she was still sleeping soundly.

After a couple of hours Deeks pushed away from his desk. "Well that's done. Kensi?"

"Me too." She also stood. "See you guys tomorrow." The two left.

A few minutes later Sam also stood. "Think I'll leave the rest for tomorrow. I want to get home and tuck my daughter in tonight." He paused, glancing at his partner who was once more looking at the couch. "You need a ride?"

"Nah, I'm good. As Hetty pointed out I've got nowhere for Callie to sleep except the floor."

Sam laughed. "Now you're actually going to have to buy some furniture. This I've gotta see."

Callen shook his head. "Get out of here already."

"I'm going, I'm going. Night G."

"Night Sam."

He continued to sit there, trying to fill out his paperwork for a little longer. But once Nell and Eric called their goodbyes he gave it up for a lost cause. Tossing his pen down on the desk, he rose, returning to the lounge area. He pulled the arm chair over to the front of the couch and sat down in it, just staring down at the sleeping girl.

His daughter. He had a daughter. He was a father. The words repeated over and over in his mind as he stared at her. He leaned forward to let his hand rest on top of hers once more. He stayed there until eventually he fell asleep.

Hetty smiled as she watched the two from her desk before turning back to her own paperwork. Just as she was finishing up a small sound drew her notice and she looked over in time to see Callie sit up. She sighed at the expression on the girl's face.

Callie bit back a cry as she jerked awake. Her eyes filled with tears as the last image of her dream repeated in her mind. But it wasn't a dream, it was a memory. Her mother was dead. She sniffled slightly before wondering where she was. She started to sit up, stopping as she realized someone was holding her hand. But who?

Her eyes widened as she saw her father sitting in a chair beside her. He had stayed? A small smile formed on her face before she wiped it away. Why was she happy? She shouldn't be happy, her mother was dead.

With that thought her face crumpled up in grief and she sat up, pulling her hand free from the agent's. She angrily wiped at the tears that flowed down her face, hadn't she cried enough for one day?

"It's alright to cry my dear. It's normal after suffering a loss like the one you have."

Callie's head shot up to see the small, elderly woman standing there. Hetty, her name was. What was she doing there?

Hetty held out her hand to the girl. "Come, let's get you cleaned up. It will make you feel a bit better."

Callie allowed the older woman to lead her to the bathroom. Once she had washed her face and taken care of some basic necessities she had to admit she did feel a bit better. "Where are we?" she asked as she followed the older woman back the way they had come.

"This is the headquarters of our branch of NCIS," Hetty told her. "Though I'm going to have to ask you to keep that quiet as no one is supposed to know where we are located."

Callie quietly agreed. They reached the main room and she looked back at the couch. But she didn't feel like trying to go back to sleep at the moment. So she remained standing there, at a loss for what she should do now.

"How about some tea?" Hetty said, gesturing for the girl to follow her to her office.

Callie did so, sitting where Hetty indicated while the older woman retrieved her tea set. She watched as the tea was poured before accepting a cup. "Thank you." To be polite she took a sip, her face immediately twisted in distaste but she swallowed it and put the cup back down.

Hetty observed her. "Not to your liking?"

Privately Callie thought it was disgusting but she wouldn't say that. Mom had raised her better than that. "I'm not a big tea drinker," she said instead.

Hetty sighed. "I suppose you're like your father then, preferring coffee."

Callie blinked, a warm sensation filling her at the mention of her father. "Actually no, I can't stand it. I prefer hot chocolate."

It was Hetty's turn to be surprised and she smiled at the girl. "Well at least you don't have all of your father's bad habits." She watched the smile spread over her features with pleasure, it was why she had worded it that way. The girl needed to be reminded that she hadn't lost everything after all. She watched as the girl glanced back at the sleeping agent, a curious look upon her face.

"Is there anything you would like to ask me?" Hetty said knowingly.

Callie chewed her lip for a minute, thinking it over. This woman knew her father, pretty well it seemed. Maybe she could give her some insight? She opened her mouth to ask when a loud crash startled both of them. They turned to see Callen on his feet, the chair he'd been sleeping in overturned behind him.

Callen awoke with a start. He lifted one hand to wipe at his face then turned to face the couch to check on Callie only to leap to his feet as he took in the empty couch. He stood with such force that the chair he'd been sitting in toppled over behind him. He paid it no mind as his eyes frantically darted around the office, searching for the missing girl.

"Is everything alright Mr. Callen?"

He turned at the voice, relief filling him as he saw her sitting with Hetty, the two staring at him with matching looks of confusion. Though Hetty's quickly changed to a knowing look.

"No, I'm alright. Just stood up too fast," he said as he righted the chair before joining them. "Everything alright over here?" He frowned as Callie stared down at her hands.

"Everything is perfectly fine Mr. Callen. We were just having some tea. Would you care to join us?"

He glanced at the tea set. "No, I'm fine."

Hetty nodded and took a long sip from her own cup. "Well in that case it is getting late. I'm going to do one last check of the building before I lock up." She stood, leaving the two alone.

Callen barely acknowledged her words as he knelt down. His gaze was fixed on the teenager's hands where she was nervously twisting them in her lap. He reached out, laying his own hand on top of hers, stilling the movement. "Hey."

She glanced at him for a moment before returning her gaze to their hands.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Tears welled in her eyes.

"Bad dreams?" Not waiting for a response, he pulled her forward into his embrace as she began to shake. "Your mom?"

"Why?"

"I don't know, I don't understand why men like Connors do what they do."

"No," she shook her head against him. "Why did she do it?"

And then he understood. Callen leaned back and placed one hand under her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Erin loved you more than anything in this world. She would never have let anything happen to you if there was even the slightest chance she could prevent it." His heart ached at the confusion visible in those blue eyes.

"She left me. She was smiling."

"She was smiling because she knew you were safe. She gave her life to save yours. She didn't want to leave you, I promise." He gently stroked her hair.

Callie studied him for a moment. "You loved her." It wasn't a question.

His eyes closed briefly. "I did."

More tears filled her eyes. "Y-you must h-hate m-me. It's m-my f-fault." Her gaze dropped back to her lap.

His hands went to her shoulders, holding her there. "Look at me," he told her firmly. "Look at me." Slowly she did so. "I could **never** hate you, моя дочь. **Never**."

With a sob she threw herself back into his embrace.

"It wasn't your fault. None of this was your fault. Never think that." He let her cry against his chest as his hands soothingly rubbed her back. "It's ok, let it out. Let it all out."

After an indeterminate amount of time had passed, he felt her slump in his embrace, the tension easing out of her body. He stood, lifting her into his arms. It felt so right to hold her, he never wanted to let her go. He remained there for a long moment before turning and walking back to the couch. Bending down, he started to lay her back on it when her hands clenched tightly around his shirt. He looked back down into her face in surprise, he'd been certain she had cried herself to sleep.

"Stay?"

Callen found it impossible to ignore her pleading tone. "I'm here, I'm not going anywhere." He sat down on the couch and kicked off his shoes before lying down, his arms securely wrapped around the girl lying on his chest.

Callie sighed as she turned her head slightly, her ear resting directly over his heart. The steady sound of his heartbeat was soothing and, combined with the hands gently rubbing circles on her back, quickly lulled her into a deep, restful sleep.

A small smile came over Callen's face as he felt her completely relax. "I'm here," he whispered again as he tilted his head to gently kiss the top of her head, taking a moment to simply breathe in her scent. A feeling of contentment quickly came over him and he allowed his own eyes to drift closed.

And that was how Hetty found them a few minutes later. She stood in the doorway, watching them with a small knowing smile. She retrieved the blanket that had fallen to the floor and covered the two with it. With one last look over her shoulder at the two, she turned off the lights and left the building, knowing that they would be alright, that her agent had finally found what he'd been missing for most of his life.


	13. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

* * *

"Now isn't that the cutest thing you've ever seen?"

"Shh! Don't wake them."

"Who's got a camera?"

"Already got the pictures."

"And the footage from the surveillance cameras."

"If you wake them up I will hurt you."

Callen let the voices of his team wash over him without opening his eyes. He must have fallen asleep in the office again. He shifted slightly, stiff. Just how long had he been asleep for? How had he slept through the others' arrivals? They weren't known to be quiet in their entrances. A frown started to form on his face as he tried to take stock of his situation. There was a weight pressing down on his chest. Warm breath puffed against his neck and his arms tightened automatically around the body in his arms as memory returned.

He sighed as he felt the girl lying on top of him shift slightly and opened his eyes to glare at his murmuring coworkers. "If you wake her up I will shoot you," he threatened.

They backed up with their hands raised, retreating to their desks. All except for Sam. "Rough night?"

"Not as bad as I was expecting," Callen admitted, looking down at the head nestled beneath his chin.

His partner nodded in understanding. "I got you some coffee, it's on your desk."

"Thanks."

"No problem." He turned and headed for his own desk. "Deeks! Get that mangy mutt away from my chair, I don't need it getting fleas everywhere."

"How many times do I have to tell you, Monty does not have fleas!"

Callen ignored the argument, choosing instead to study the sleeping teenager. She'd woken a few times during the night, calling out for Erin. But she'd calmed quickly in his embrace. He checked his watch, surprised to see that it had been almost five hours since she'd last woken up. He never slept that long uninterrupted. And it had been a peaceful sleep.

He sighed staring at her. He had to get up but how without waking her? He was contemplating ways to extricate himself when the dilemma resolved itself.

Callie squirmed slightly against the arms holding her before opening her eyes. "Hi," she said quietly as she met his blue eyes with her own.

"Hey, you ok?"

She nodded, looking away. Upon spotting the other people now present in the building she blushed slightly and sat up, pulling herself off of the agent. She let her eyes wander to the other agents before pausing to stare.

Callen took the opportunity to sit up as well, stretching his stiff body as he did so. He frowned as the girl fidgeted slightly. He noticed she was staring at Kensi who was currently eating a doughnut. "You must be hungry," he said, realizing she hadn't eaten anything at all the previous day.

"Huh?" Callie said, before her stomach made a loud noise. Her eyes widened in shock and embarrassment.

Callen laughed as she ducked her head, blushing. "Wait here, I'll go see if there are any doughnuts left." He headed to the bullpen, missing the odd look she gave him.

She stared after him. Doughnuts for breakfast? Mom never let her have doughnuts for breakfast. They were for dessert, not a meal. She slumped as she realized that Mom would never again be able to forbid her from eating the junk food. Suddenly she didn't feel as hungry as she had a moment ago.

In the meantime Callen had reached the others. "Any doughnuts left?" he asked, stopping at his desk to grab the coffee Sam had gotten him. He gratefully took a large sip of the still hot liquid.

Sam shook his head. "Yeah, like you really need more junk food G."

"Not me, Callie. She didn't eat anything at all yesterday, remember?"

Sam shot him a look. "So you want to give her a doughnut?"

"What, it's a perfectly valid breakfast item," he defended.

"Says who? It's not healthy. You've got to get off to the right start here G."

Callen frowned, a trickle of doubt setting in. Sam was the one with experience with children, he would know better than him.

"Oh lighten up. One doughnut isn't going to kill her," Kensi said as she grabbed the box and handed it to Callen. "The girl just lost her mother. A little comfort food could go a long way right now."

Deeks snorted. "Speak for yourself. Not everyone deals with their troubles by going on a food binge."

Sam shook his head as the two started to argue. He glanced back at his partner and saw him looking at the box of doughnuts. He could read the doubt in his eyes. "G. One doughnut's not the end of the world. Kid's got to eat something. Just don't make it a habit." He grinned suddenly. "We don't want her getting all of your bad habits."

"What bad habits?" he shot back as he headed back to where he had left Callie. "Hey, we're in luck, Kensi hadn't had time to eat them all yet. There's a few different kinds, I wasn't sure what you like." He held the box out for her to look.

Callie bit her lip as she looked into the box but didn't make a move to take one.

He sat down next to her. "Don't see anything you like? I can run to the store, get something else." A jolt of nervousness ran through him, was he already messing things up?

She shook her head. "No, it's okay." More for his sake than hers she grabbed a powdered doughnut from the box. But she made no move to eat it.

"What's wrong?"

She stared at the doughnut in her hand. "Mom never lets-" She broke off, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Never **let** me have doughnuts for breakfast. Doughnuts are a dessert not a meal," she recited.

Callen wasn't sure what he should say. "Well how about we suspend that rule, just for today. One doughnut is not going hurt anything. You have to eat something." When she hesitated, he added, "If it really makes you uncomfortable, I'll go to a diner or something. You like bacon and eggs?" He stood up.

Callie's head shot up. "No, it's okay. Don't go to any trouble, I don't want to be a bother." She lifted the sugar-filled treat to her mouth and took a small bite. The sugary powder tasted like ash in her mouth but she forced herself to chew and swallow.

Callen knelt down and forced her to meet his eyes. "It wouldn't have been any trouble. Trust me, you are not a bother, alright?" She nodded and he stood back up. "I'm just going to get you something to wash that down with, I'll be right back."

She watched him walk away and sighed, setting the doughnut on the table beside the couch. She just wasn't hungry. She let her head fall forward, chin resting against her chest and closed her eyes for a moment only to jump as something cold and wet touched her hand. "What?!" She opened her eyes to see a grayish dog sitting in front of her, sniffing her hands. "Where did you come from?" she wondered as the dog began to lick the powder off of her fingers. She giggled and the dog wagged it's tail before resting it's head on her knee.

"What's the matter?"

The dog whined and turned to stare at her partially eaten doughnut.

"You hungry?" The tail thumped against the floor. "I don't know, are you even allowed to eat something like that?" The dog whined again before rolling over, paws up in the air, clearly begging. Callie laughed. "Oh alright, but just a small piece." She grabbed the doughnut and hesitated, looking around. But no one appeared to be watching so she broke off a small piece and tossed it to the dog.

She watched him gobble it up. "You must be really hungry, I didn't think it tasted that good." He placed his head on her leg again. "You want more, don't you?" She broke off another small piece, letting him eat it out of her hand. Absentmindedly, she took a bite of it herself before breaking off another piece. A few more rounds of this and she was surprised to note that the doughnut was completely gone. "Sorry," she told the dog as he looked expectantly at her. "It's all finished."

He tilted his head, staring at her for a moment, then jumped up on the couch beside her, licking the powder off of her face and causing her to laugh. Her laughter soon drew attention.

"That a boy Monty," Deeks said as he wandered over. He winked at Callie as she glanced at him. "He's always had a thing for the ladies, especially the cute ones."

Kensi snorted. "You mean he's like you and will chase anything in a skirt."

"Hey, I'll have you know that Monty and I are very selective in our choice of women. It's not our fault that there are so many good looking ladies around."

Callie laughed at their byplay. "He belongs to you, Marty?" she asked as she scratched Monty behind the ears. The dog flopped down on her lap, clearly loving the attention.

"Yep, this is Monty, honorary NCIS agent."

"You might want to keep your distance before you get fleas from that mangy mutt," Sam piped in.

"He's not mangy!" Callie piped up. "I think he's adorable."

"Ignore him," Deeks told her. "He's still upset that Monty saved his life. And for the umpteenth time he does not have fleas."

"There's no accounting for taste," Sam said with a shake of his head. "And I was referring to Deeks."

"Hey!"

* * *

Callen had paused on his way back when he heard the first giggle escape the teenager. He stood in the corner, watching as Monty managed what he couldn't. He got her to smile, got her to laugh, got her to eat. He owed that dog a nice juicy bone. He felt someone join him but kept his eyes on his daughter.

"She always did have a soft spot for animals," Owen Granger said wistfully before turning to face the Senior Field Agent. "I owe you an apology."

Callen glanced at him briefly before returning his gaze to Callie as the rest of the team gathered around her. "No, after what you did, dealing with that social worker last night, we're good. But you owe her an apology, and an explanation." He gave him a hard look. "You really hurt her yesterday. And now she is blaming herself for Erin's death."

Granger closed his eyes and sighed. "I know. Believe me I know. I never meant to hurt her."

"No," Callen said as he turned to regard the other man. "You wanted to hurt me. And I deserved it." He turned away from the older man. "But she didn't."

"No, she didn't. And neither did you," Granger admitted, causing the younger man to look at him in surprise. "You've really stepped up, when I didn't expect you to. I was wrong to keep you out of Callie's life."

He shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know that you were. Yes, I'm taking responsibility now. Do I plan to be a part of her life? Yes. But would I have reacted the same way if I'd known sooner? Or if Erin was still alive? I don't know. I'd like to think I would have but I can't. Not when just after discovering the truth I was thinking how much better off she would be without me in her life. Even now I'm still thinking it."

Granger studied him carefully. "If that's true then why? Why haven't you already pushed her away? Why are you allowing her to get attached to you?"

"Because I'm all the family she has left and I won't abandon her. She needs me." He took a deep breath. "And I think I need her, just as much if not more," he admitted quietly.

The older man nodded thoughtfully. "Erin made me her godfather so she isn't completely without family," he said as he watched the man to gauge his reaction.

Callen shook his head. "Doesn't change my mind. I'm still going to be there for her." He glanced at the girl in question before turning back to Granger. "I will be going for custody. You aren't going to fight me over that, are you?" The expression on his face said that that would be the wrong thing to do.

Granger also turned to look at Callie. "No. It would not be in her best interests. You know, I wasn't lying when I told that social worker that Erin wanted Callie to go to you. She kept her will up to date because she knew that something could happen to her and she made sure Callie would be provided for in that eventuality." He turned back to Callen. "There are two versions of that will. One where Callie goes to me and one where she would go to you. Erin left the decision of which to use up to me. Up until yesterday I would have said you didn't deserve to have anything to do with her and would have fought you every step of the way. And I would have been wrong to do it. You are a good man, Agent G. Callen and I'm happy to admit that I was wrong about you." He held out his hand.

Callen glanced at him in surprise before nodding as well and shaking the man's hand. They probably wouldn't ever like one another, there was too much bad history. But they could respect one another and be civil for the sake of the young girl they both cared deeply for. He noticed Callie look around before her gaze fell on the two of them. A mask of confusion etched itself on to her face. "I think it's time for that apology and explanation," he said before leading the way over to her.


	14. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

Author's note: Depending on when you read the last chapter you might want to go back and reread the end. I was in a rush to post it before I had to be at work and didn't realize that part of Callen and Granger's conversation was missing. It has since been fixed.

I've rewritten this chapter several times and I'm still not entirely happy with it. It was meant as a transition chapter to show us the characters reactions and get us to the next chapter. But it just doesn't feel entirely right. Any feedback would really be appreciated. Oh, and does anyone know if Granger ever calls Hetty anything other than Henrietta? I know he calls her Henrietta because he's the only one that does but I don't remember if he ever calls her Hetty. I was wondering if I should change some of the Henrietta's to Hetty.

* * *

Callie had been laughing at the antics of the agents when she realized that Callen had been gone for a while. She shifted her gaze around the open building, wondering where he had disappeared to. She was shocked to see him standing in a corner, talking to Uncle Owen. Her face scrunched up in confusion as she watched them shake hands. Didn't they hate each other? What was going on?

A moment later they stepped out of the corner and approached her. Apprehension filled her as she glanced from one face to the other.

"Hey, sorry I took so long," Callen told her as he held out a bottle of water.

"That's okay," she replied as she took it, watching as he glanced at the other agents and tilted his head. They nodded and started to walk away. All except for Sam who gave her father a searching look. Callen gave him a nod and he too walked away.

Callie sat there, her hands wrapping around Monty to keep him from abandoning her as well. She wasn't sure what was going on but she didn't like it. She didn't know her father well enough to read his expression. She glanced at her 'uncle' and took in the serious look on his face. Was he about to lay into her, blame her for her mother's death like he blamed her for her injury?

She glanced back at her father. Why was he with him? He'd said he didn't blame her, had he changed his mind? Was he about to tell her he'd been wrong? Was he going to send her back to the woman from CPS? Her breath started to come in harsh pants as her thoughts grew darker and darker. Only Monty's weight on her lap kept her from bolting before they could confirm her fears.

Callen quickly sat next to her. "Hey, it's okay," he told her, placing a hand on her shoulder and frowning when she flinched slightly. He couldn't stand the fear and pain he saw in her eyes. "Shh," he pulled her to his side, turning his body as his arms wrapped around her so her head rested on his chest and rocked her slightly.

After a few minutes she managed to calm down. Releasing one last shaky breath, she started to pull away only to have his arms stop her. She glanced up at him.

"Better now?" he asked, one hand tenderly brushing the hair out of her face.

Callie nodded, not yet trusting her voice. Her eyes wandered from him, finding her 'uncle'. He had sat down on the nearby arm chair, an unreadable expression on his face as he stared at the two of them. Unconsciously she flinched back from him, pushing herself further into her father's embrace.

The two men exchanged a glance at her reaction and Granger sighed, wiping a hand down his face at the pain he had thoughtlessly caused her. "Callie, I am so sorry."

Her head came up at his words and she stared at him in surprise and confusion.

"I never meant to hurt you, never meant for you to hear what I said."

"But you meant the words. You blame me for Mom never recovering, just like you blame me for her death."

"No! Never!" He was out of his seat and kneeling in front of her. "Listen to me, you are not to blame for her death. And I was wrong to make it sound like her paralysis was your fault, I never blamed you."

"No, you were right, it was my fault. It was all my fault." She shook her head. "If I hadn't been born then Mom would have recovered, probably would have been able to fight off her attackers. She wouldn't have had to die in my place." She started to shake. "She probably blamed me, that's why she died. To get away from me."

Callen's arms tightened around her as he began rocking her once more. He'd thought that they had settled this last night. He should have known better, Granger's words had really done a number on her. He wanted nothing more than to deny her words, assure her that she was wrong, that she was loved. But it had been Granger's words that did the damage, he was the one who had to begin fixing it. So he made sure he was there for her physically while forcing himself to remain quiet.

"No! Callie don't you see how wrong you are?" Granger reached out and grabbed her hands. "Your mother never blamed you, never!"

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do. It's right there, in your name."

She stared at him in confusion.

"What's your full name?"

Callie frowned as she answered, not sure where he was going with this. "Callen Evelyn O'Rourke."

"Did you know that your mom wanted to name you Evelyn? The only reason she didn't was because she decided that since she couldn't give you your father's last name she'd give it you as your first. So she made Evelyn your middle name." He made her look into his eyes. "Now I don't really speak Gaelic but your mother made sure I understood the meaning of that name."

A look of dawning comprehension came over the girl's face. "It means 'wished for or longed for child'," she said quietly in a tone of wonder, never having considered what her mother might have been saying in her choice of names. Her mother's last words to her repeated in her mind. 'You are my miracle, my Beannacht.'

Granger nodded. "Yes. Your mother has always wanted you, always loved you. I'm sorry if my words made you doubt that. She has never blamed **you** and neither have I. I am so sorry for ever making you think that we had."

Her eyes searched his face, seeing only sincerity there. "Then why did you say it?"

He sighed. "Because I was lashing out. I wanted to cause as much pain as I could to the person that I blamed for hurting your mother. All I could see was the pain he had caused your mother, the pain I believed that he would cause you, and I wanted him to feel that same pain. I just never considered what my words would do to you."

Callie wanted to believe him and was nearly ready to forgive him. But there was one last thing she needed to know. "Mom never wanted to talk about my father, never wanted to answer my questions. So I stopped asking her." She felt him stiffen behind her and realized her words probably caused him pain. He had admitted to loving her mother after all. So she leaned herself further into his embrace as she continued. "I thought maybe you would tell me. But when I asked you you told me he was dead. Why?"

Callen turned to look at Granger. This was a question he wanted answered as well.

Granger sighed. He had hoped she wouldn't ask this question, at least not yet. "Because I knew how much it hurt your mother when you asked and I knew how much you were hurting by not knowing. If I had told you he was alive you wouldn't have dropped it, you would have kept looking. You come by that stubbornness honestly," he said, flicking his gaze to the agent. "So I told you he was dead so you would stop looking."

"But why? Why couldn't you just tell me the truth? Why did you and Mom keep me from him?"

"I can't speak for your mother's reasons. I know there were many times that she thought about contacting your father about you. I don't know why she didn't. I can only speculate that she still felt hurt about their relationship ending. As for my reasons, I didn't think he deserved to know the truth. In my eyes he had broken your mother's heart and didn't deserve the chance to do the same to you. All I could picture was him hurting you. But I was wrong, wrong to keep the truth from you, and wrong about the kind of man your father is. And all I can say is that I am so very sorry for hurting you."

Callie studied him carefully, seeing nothing but sincerity written on his face. But it was the pain that she saw in his eyes that really convinced her. She could see how much this was hurting him. "I forgive you Uncle Owen," she said, reaching for him and wrapping her arms around his neck as Callen reluctantly released her.

He sighed with relief as he held her as tightly as he could with the dog still lying halfway across her lap. "Thank you."

She sniffled slightly. "What's going to happen to me now?"

Granger and Callen exchanged a look over the top of her head and he pulled back from her, re-seating himself in the armchair. "What do you want to happen?" he asked her gently. He watched as she glanced at Callen before biting her lip, obviously hesitant to voice her wishes.

Callen gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "You come live with me," he told her. Doubt about whether that was what she wanted caused him to add, "if you want."

She stared at him with wide eyes. "Y-you really want me?"

He wrapped his arms around her. "More than anything, моя дочь." He became worried when she burst into tears but that worry faded when he saw the large smile on her face as she returned his embrace with all of the strength she could muster.

They stayed that way for a long moment until Monty barked and wiggled himself in between them.

Callie laughed as she pulled back, reaching down to scratch his ears. "Someone's feeling left out."

"Yeah, well I'm not hugging him," he told her with a grin that widened as she returned it.

"That's okay, I'll hug him enough for the both of us."

He shook his head at her as she proceeded to do just that, then spotted Hetty standing off to the side. "I'll be right back," he told her, giving her a reassuring smile as he got up. He headed over to the Operations Manager.

"It's good to see that you are getting along so well," she told him, "though it looks as if she is becoming rather attached. Mr. Deeks might soon find himself without a dog."

"I wouldn't go that far." He shook his head. "He's giving her something to focus on other than her own grief." He looked back at Callie as she responded to something Granger said to her. "I need some time off Hetty."

"Of course Mr. Callen. I've already filled out the paperwork. You just need to sign it. Actually the entire team has more than earned some down time."

"Thanks Hetty." He had to smile, she was always at least two steps ahead of him.

"What will you do now? I know a good lawyer if you need one to start the custody process."

"Actually Granger said that Erin left me custody in her will. In one version anyway."

Hetty nodded in understanding. "It's always good to plan ahead. I'm sure you've got a busy day ahead of you, if you intend to bring your daughter home today. But you might wish to speak to Owen again. I'm sure the young lady would appreciate being able to wear her own clothing and perhaps pick up a few personal items."

Callen blinked. He hadn't even considered that Callie might want to go home and pick up some things. "Isn't it a bit too soon to bring her back there though?" he questioned, not wanting to cause her any unnecessary pain.

"Perhaps. But then again, perhaps being able to hold something of her mother's would help her with her grief."

Callen conceded the point. A grin formed on his face as he considered something else. "Well if we're going over there then why bother going furniture shopping? After all, I'm sure she'd be more comfortable in her own bed." He could rent a truck and bring her bed to his house.

"Nice try Agent Callen but you're not getting out of furniture shopping that easily," Granger spoke up as he joined them, having caught the last comment. "Erin had been planning on replacing Callie's furniture for a while now, it just kept getting postponed."

"Something wrong with the furniture she has?" Callen asked, a bit put out that his plans had been so easily derailed.

Granger shrugged. "It's old and worn out, or at least the bed is. Erin had been discussing replacing the entire set as an early Christmas present. Letting Callie pick it out, within reason."

Callen sighed. "There goes that idea."

"Don't look so down, Mr. Callen. You might end up enjoying the experience," Hetty told him. "Perhaps even enough to buy enough items to furnish the rest of your house."

He shook his head. "Don't push it," he told her before turning to Granger. "I'm going to see if Callie wants to grab some clothes and other effects, perhaps something to remind her of Erin. Is there anything I should know?"

Granger pulled out a key and handed it to him before taking out his phone and typing on it. "I've just sent you the address. It's a crime scene, since that's where they were taken from. But there shouldn't be any reason you can't retrieve some of Callie's stuff." He glanced back at the girl who had finally gotten up from the couch and was now walking around the open space, if a bit stiffly. "Just be careful. I'm not sure how she'll react to being back there."

Callen nodded. "You want to come? Moral support for Callie?"

"No, I think you've got that covered. Think of it as a bonding experience. Though if she needs me I'm only a phone call away."

"No problem." With that he headed back to his daughter.

Hetty and Granger watched him go. "You seem to have changed your mind about Mr. Callen," Hetty commented.

"I'm man enough to admit when I'm wrong. He's really making the effort to be there for her. I didn't think he would, until last night." He turned to glance down at her. "But don't think I didn't spot your fingerprints all over that incident with the social worker, Henrietta."

She made no effort to deny his words. "Sometimes, we just need a push in the right direction, to realize what's right before our eyes." Her actions had made Callen think about what would happen to the girl if he wasn't there for her. Perhaps it would have turned out to be unnecessary, but she didn't think that extra push had done any harm. She watched Callen wrap his arm around the girl's shoulders, leading her out of the building. All that mattered was that the outcome was looking good for two people who had suffered a lot of heartache.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," Granger told her. "Now, do you still have any of that scotch left? I could use a drink."

"I'm sure I have something around here," Hetty said, leading him back to her office. "A toast," she said as she retrieved a bottle and two glasses. "To family."

"To family."


	15. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

Author Note: Just so you know I decided to explain how Callie knows Russian in this chapter by introducing a new minor character (that probably won't appear again after this). So there is a whole conversation taking place in Russian but I wasn't going to actually translate the whole thing into Russian, I'd probably get it completely wrong, not to mention you wouldn't be able to read it. So when the words are underlined like this, it means that the characters are speaking Russian.

* * *

Callen eyed the teenager worriedly as he drove. The closer they got to their destination, the quieter she became. Now she was sitting slumped in the passenger seat, staring out the window. But he was willing to bet it wasn't the scenery that she was seeing. He pulled the car to the side of the road as the GPS indicated that they had arrived. "Callie?"

She jumped, startled. Her eyes widened as she recognized where they were. "Oh, I didn't realize we were here already." She removed her seatbelt but made no move to exit the vehicle.

"Are you okay?" He sighed when she simply shrugged. "We don't have to do this right now. It can wait until another day if you're not ready."

Callie shook her head. "No, I'm fine. Let's just get this over with." She opened the door and got out.

Callen sighed again as he also exited the vehicle. He resolved to keep a close eye on her. If it looked like it was getting to be too much then they would leave, over her protestations if necessary. He watched as she stopped in front of the house and he turned to study it.

It was a two story building, though obviously a two family dwelling. The front yard was decent sized with a small garden leading around one side. It appeared nice enough, as did the neighborhood. He was glad Erin had been able to afford it, especially since she had been raising a daughter by herself. Guilt niggled at him over not having contributed financially at least to Callie's upbringing but he pushed it aside. He hadn't known or he would have made sure she was provided for.

Shaking the thoughts away, he gently touched Callie's shoulder. "Ready?" At her nod, he started to walk up the entryway to the steps.

"Not that way." Callen turned to look at her and she gestured to a small path leading to the side of the building. "Mom and I lived on the ground floor, it was easier for to get around that way, without having to worry about the stairs."

"Oh." As Callie finally shook her thoughts away, he joined her on the path, draping his arm over her shoulders. He received a small smile in response.

But as they reached the door, Callie froze in her tracks, staring at the crime scene tape that covered the doorway.

"Callie?"

She swallowed and closed her eyes. "I just need a minute," she said before taking a few steps away and around the corner. He followed her, watching as she leaned against the back of the house, arms wrapped around her torso.

"We don't have to do this," he reminded her.

"Yes, I do. I just didn't expect it to be this hard."

Callen stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm here. You're not alone."

She gave him a weak smile as she returned his embrace. "I think that's the only reason I haven't already run away," she admitted. "Thank you, for being here."

"You're here, there's no where else I'd rather be."

Her arms tightened around him at his words and she drew a deep breath. "Okay, now I'm ready."

"If you're sure," Callen said, only to receive a determined nod. He gave her one last squeeze before stepping back. He turned to head back to the door only to have to duck as a broom was swung through the space his head was previously occupying. He quickly pushed Callie away as the broom swung back at him again.

As he ducked he automatically reached for his weapon, only stopping as the stream of words in broken English reached him.

"Thief! Murderer! You no come back finish job!" The heavy-set old lady yelled in a Russian accent as she attempted to brain over the head with the broom.

"Mrs. Guseva! Stop!" Callie pushed herself to her feet from where she had fallen.

The woman turned to look at her, dropping the broom as tears sprung to her eyes. "Oh, Callie! You okay! I so worried!" She said in broken English before launching a series of questions in Russian. "I heard about your mother's death, it was all over the news last night. I am so sorry for your loss. But I am glad you are alright. I feared you had been killed as well. But who is this, I thought it might be one of the men who took you returning to finish the job."

Callen opened his mouth to respond but Callie beat him to it. Responding in Russian she told the woman, "I'm okay. Thank you for the condolences. No, he isn't one of the men who abducted us. This is my father."

A warm feeling filled him as he heard Callie refer to him as her father to someone else.

The old woman turned to study him, obviously seeing the resemblance. "And where have you been all of this time? You think you can just come here now and take over this girl's life?" she asked him in Russian.

"I didn't know," he responded in kind, causing the woman to blink in surprise. "Erin never told me or I would have been there for both of them. But I'm here now." He reached over and wrapped his arm around Callie's shoulders.

Mrs. Guseva studied them carefully for a moment. "Good, you better take good care of her. But why are you here?"

"To pick up some clothes for Callie. And I thought she might like something of her mother's, to help her feel a connection."

"Oh yes, of course," Mrs. Guseva said sympathetically. "But the police, they said no one is to enter."

"That's ok, we've already been cleared," Callen assured her.

"Well then I had better let you get back to it, I'm sorry about the broom. Callie, again I am so sorry. Please, don't forget to visit." She turned back to Callen. "And you should come too, the stories I could tell you about this daredevil." She shook her head. "Such stubbornness and foolhardy bravery in such a small package." She picked up her broom and walked away, muttering about little girls with no fear.

Callen turned to look at Callie who was carefully studying her feet, a slight blush on her face. "Well that explains where you learned to speak Russian."

"Yeah, Mrs. Guseva is great, she used to babysit me sometimes."

"Might have to take her up on that offer to visit, I'm definitely intrigued by what stories she could tell me."

She blushed but lifted her head to look at him. "Oh, I'm sure she'd appreciate your visit. I caught her checking you out."

Callen coughed. "What?"

A small smile briefly came across her face and she nodded to an upstairs window. "See? Mrs. Guseva loves to ogle. You're lucky she didn't pinch your ass."

He glanced up in time to see the curtain shift back into place. He shuddered slightly. "Well as long as all she does is look it would be worth it." Callie glanced at him, confused. "I missed so much of your life, there's so much I don't know. Of course I want to hear those stories."

Callie shyly ducked her head again. When she raised it a small smile was tugging at her mouth. "Come on, we didn't come here just to stand outside all day." She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the door but paused just outside it.

Callen took the key Granger had given him and unlocked the door. He ducked under the crime scene tape then held it out of the way for Callie to enter.

Callie froze as soon as she stepped inside. The place was a mess. The TV lay on the ground, smashed, as was the coffee table. The couch was overturned, the cushions all over the room. Images assaulted her mind, the men bursting in, her mother attempting to fight them off, men grabbing her. Then her mind flashed forward to her last image of her mother, lying on the ground dead.

She came back to awareness to find her breath coming in harsh pants as she was crushed against her father's chest, his voice soothing her as he reassured her.

"Shh, I'm here. It's okay, they're just memories, they can't hurt you anymore. I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you." Callen gently rubbed circles on her back as her breathing returned to normal. But he could feel the fast beat of her heart as she pressed against his chest. He sighed. "This was a mistake, it's too soon." He started to lift her into his arms.

"N-no," she shook her head. "We're here now, we might as well get what we came for. I don't know if I'll be able to go through this a s-second t-time." Her voice nearly broke.

"If you're sure," Callen studied her carefully, she was pale but determined. He lifted her into his arms anyway. "Which room?"

"Last door on the right." She gave him a weak grin. "It's a good thing I'm so small, with how much you've been carrying me the last couple of days."

He grinned back at her but didn't comment. Truthfully she could weigh twice as much or more and he would still carry her. It just felt so right, having her in his arms. Was this how Sam felt with his daughter?

He found the indicated door and entered it, pausing to take in his first view of his daughter's personal habitat. What insights could he gain into her from it? Callie squirmed and he put her down as he studied the room.

The carpet was a soft beige color, the walls, what little could be seen of them, were a pale green. But rather than the posters of different bands or actors he would expect to see in a teenage girl's room, the walls were covered with bookshelves. He glanced at some of the titles, it was an eclectic mix. Fantasy, science fiction, romance, adventure, books of all genres were present. He glanced at her briefly.

"So I like to read," she said a bit defensively as she noticed his look.

But Callen barely heard her as he continued his perusal. It wasn't only books that took up space on the shelves. There were small objects of obvious sentimental value, like the snowglobe or the porcelain unicorn figurine. There were also photos. He paused at one in particular, lifting it up.

A much younger Callie grinned broadly back at him, showcasing her missing front tooth as a smiling Erin held her in her arms. But it was the black eye that really got his notice. "What happened there?"

A small smile crept over her face as she looked at the photo. "That was taken after my first suspension from school."

Callen stared at her in surprise. "**First** suspension? For what? You couldn't have been more than 5?! And why would your mom be happy about that?"

"I was 6 and I broke Billy Williams' nose. He was 8, about a foot and a half bigger than me and was a bully. I got suspended because the school had a zero tolerance policy on fighting. Apparently I was supposed to let him hit me and steal my locket. I didn't agree, hence his broken nose."

Callen shook his head in amusement as he put down the photo. "You are definitely your mother's daughter," he said, remembering a few times the petite agent had stood her ground against men twice her size.

"Yeah, Mom acted all upset at the school, telling me that fighting is wrong. But once we had left she congratulated me for standing up for myself and bought me an ice cream cone." Callie smiled wistfully before tears filled her eyes. "I miss her. It's only been a day, why does it hurt so much?" She sunk down onto the bed.

Callen eyed the bed warily as it swayed slightly under her weight. One of the legs was bent, he now understood why Granger had said keeping it wasn't an option. Not trusting it to hold his weight, he knelt on the floor in front of her. "It's normal to miss her, it shows how much you love her."

She looked at him tearfully. "Does it ever stop hurting?"

He sighed, running a hand over his hair as he thought about how to answer. "It gets better, it doesn't hurt as much but no, the pain never fully goes away. You just have to try to remember the happy times, and eventually you'll be able to smile and laugh about them without bursting into tears."

"Doesn't feel like it," she muttered as she wiped at her face.

"Not right now, but eventually."

She sighed and started to push herself up from the bed when a loud groan filled the room and she found herself tilting forward into her father's arms.

"Guess it's a good thing I chose not to sit down," he muttered as he stared at the bed leg that had completely collapsed. "Really going to have to go shopping now."

"Oops," she said, wide-eyed.

He smirked at her. "I guess the bed didn't find you as light to hold as I do."

"Hey!"

"So you want to start grabbing some clothes? Is there a bag somewhere to put them in?"

"There's a suitcase in the bottom of the closet," she said as she sighed and started pulling clothes out of the dresser drawers.

Callen quickly found the suitcase and placed it on the desk, helping her pack the clothes. "Anything else you need or want to take with you?"

Callie thought for a moment before crossing the hall to the bathroom. She returned with her things like a toothbrush, deodorant and other personal care items which she also packed. Glancing around the room again, she retrieved her bookbag from next to the desk and emptied it out. She then proceeded to pack several books and a tablet computer into it. Then she started looking at the knickknacks on the bookshelves.

Callen simply watched her. He could see the memories swarming in her mind as she fingered several objects, placing a couple in the bag while leaving others where they sat. He watched as she picked up another photo of her and Erin, hugging it to her chest before placing it in the bag. "Is there anything I can help with?" he asked, feeling like he should be doing something but not knowing what.

She bit her lip and glanced back down the hallway. "Mom kept photo albums. It was like she wanted to document every second of my life sometimes. They're in the bottom of the TV stand."

He understood. She couldn't face that room again. "I'll get them." He reached over and squeezed her shoulder before leaving the room.

Callie took a deep breath once she was alone. Then she turned to the closet. Kneeling down, she reached all the way into the back, shifting a loose board aside and pulled out a shoebox. It was covered in dust that she carefully brushed off. She started to lift the lid and hesitated, looking back at the doorway. Shaking her head, she placed the small box into her bookbag.

She took one last look around the room, knowing she was unlikely to return. She wasn't sure what would happen to what was left behind, and at the moment she found she just couldn't care. She started to zip her bag closed when her eyes landed on something peeking out from under the partially collapsed bed. She bent down and retrieved it, her eyes softening slightly as she held the well-worn teddy bear. She shook her head and tossed it onto the bed. She was too old for stuffed animals.

But a moment later she found herself picking it up again, hugging it. This bear had been with her most of her life, through good times and bad. Perhaps it would be able to help her get through this. She gently, almost reverently placed the bear into her bag and zipped it closed.

Callen chose that moment to return, carrying the photo albums and a couple of other items. "It looks like pictures weren't the only thing Erin kept." He held up a box labeled home videos. "I hope you don't mind, I thought maybe someday we could watch these together."

"No that's okay," Callie responded, though her attention was on the other item he held.

Callen smiled as he fingered the old, heavy quilt. "I remember this thing. Erin said it had been in her family for generations. That she could wrap it around her and feel the love of her family. She would bring this thing with her to every place she stayed." He didn't mention that Callie was probably conceived under it.

Callie nodded. "Whenever I had a bad day or if I woke up from a nightmare she would wrap that around us and we'd just sit there, sometimes talking, sometimes just sitting in silence. But it always made me feel better." She gently took the folded quilt from him, hugging it to her chest as she burst into tears.

Callen gathered her to his chest and held her, whispering soothingly to her. He thought he was getting the hang of calming her down, though he wished that he didn't have to because it was a testament to how much pain she was in. "Is there anything else you want?"

She shook her head. "No, I just want to get out of here."

Callen nodded. If there was anything else she needed he would either buy it for her himself or he would come and get it. He wasn't going to make her suffer any longer than necessary. He quickly packed the photos and videos into the suitcase. He hesitated then grabbed the photo of Callie and Erin that had caught his attention earlier and packed it as well. He then slung her bookbag over his shoulder while grabbing the suitcase. His other arm wrapped around Callie and pulled her into his side, supporting her as he led her out of the home she had shared with her mother.

Once outside he locked up and brought the emotionally drained girl to the car. He ignored Mrs. Guseva watching him from her window as he got Callie settled in the car and placed her bags in the trunk. As he climbed in to the driver's seat he found that Callie had already fallen asleep, exhausted from the emotional tolls of the day. He reached out and softly stroked her cheek before starting the car, on his way to bring his daughter home for the first time.


	16. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

Author Note: This story just doesn't want to end. I thought it was going to be over two chapters ago but I keep getting ideas, such as with this chapter. Originally the furniture shopping was going to be part of this chapter but I found a great father/daughter bonding moment and it got pushed back to the next chapter. I have a great ending in mind but I need the interaction between Callen and Callie to reach a certain point to get there. So I have no idea how much longer this story will be.

* * *

Callen pulled into the driveway and stopped the car. Removing his seatbelt he turned to look at Callie, wondering what to do now. He didn't really want to wake her. He could carry her inside but he had no place to lay her down, except the floor. Even his bedroll was currently rolled up in the corner.

His dilemma solved itself as Callie chose that moment to stir. Shifting in her seat, she lifted one hand to rub at her eyes before looking around. "We here?" she asked.

"Yeah, this is my place." He watched as she glanced at the house, studying it.

"Looks nice," she said, opening the car door and climbing out. She stretched, wincing a little as the movement pulled at her bruises.

Callen took the opportunity to grab her bags from the trunk. "I thought we would drop your things off and then go out to eat for a late lunch before we go furniture shopping."

Callie glanced at him. "You don't have to do that," she told him as he led her to the door. "I can sleep on the couch or something."

"Actually, you can't," he started to say as he unlocked the door.

"Why not? It can't be that uncomfortable and I'm small enough that I can't be too big for it," she pointed out. It was at that moment that they entered the building and she got her first look at the inside. Her eyes widened as she stopped in her tracks. "You've been robbed," she said dazedly.

Callen quickly glanced around but nothing appeared to be disturbed. "No I wasn't."

Callie turned to look at him as he put her bags down against the wall. "You just moved in and your stuff hasn't arrived yet?"

He shook his head. "Been living here almost two years."

"The furniture's not invisible or anything, right?"

"Nope."

Callie's eyes swept over the nearly empty room once more, taking in the chair and lamp with a small pile of books beside them. "You're not one of those monks that think possessions are bad, are you?"

Callen couldn't help but laugh. "No, I'm definitely not a monk." He sighed as she continued to stand there with a confused look on her face. "You can see why we need to go shopping."

She turned to look at him. "The whole house is like this? Then where do you sleep?" she wondered.

"I've got a bedroll. Look, I know this seems strange but I've never really been big on owning stuff. I've spent most of my life shuffling from one place to another, living out of a bag or two, and I've become accustomed to not owning much," he explained.

Callie's face became thoughtful at his explanation. She guessed it made sense. "But then why did you buy a house? Why not just rent a small room or something?"

"Hetty," he said as if it explained everything. But she just looked at him in confusion. "I did just that, for the longest time. But living like that, I found myself constantly moving, never staying in one place for long. Hetty decided I needed to plant some roots, arranged for me to buy this house."

Callie decided to leave the fact that his boss was that involved in his personal life alone for the moment. She was more curious about something else. "So why this house?" There had to be a reason for him to buy this specific house. "I mean, you could always just sell it and move if you didn't want to be here. So what keeps you here?"

Callen ran his hand over his head, not really wanting to explain. But he knew that she deserved to know. Just as he was attempting to learn about her she also deserved to know who he was. "Come with me." He led her to her his room and opened the closet door.

"You liked the closet space?" she asked blankly as she glanced at his clothes hanging up inside it. She watched as he fingered something on the door and her gaze went to it. _G. Callen '83_. She studied the words carved into the door. "Well since I sincerely doubt you're over 80 years old, I guess that means you lived here before?"

Callen nodded. Sitting down against the wall, he gestured for her to join him.

She did, leaning into his side and sighing as he draped his arm over her shoulder.

"Yeah. You see, I grew up in foster care, I stayed here when I was 14. The family was really good to me, it was the longest I'd been in one place."

Callie turned to look at him. "How long?" she asked quietly.

"Three months."

She stared at him in shock. If that was the longest he'd stayed in one place then- "You weren't kidding when you said you moved around a lot."

"37 different foster homes."

"W-what about your family?"

"Dead. They died a long time ago."

Tears formed in her eyes. "I'm sorry." She hadn't meant to make him relive any bad memories.

"Not your fault," he told, squeezing her slightly. "Why don't I show you your room?" At her nod he rose and helped her to her feet. He led her to what used to be Alina's room.

Callie glanced around the room before looking at him again. She studied the look on his face as he was obviously lost in memories. "It's nice," she told him before asking, "who used to live here?"

Callen shook his head as he regarded her. She was definitely perceptive. "The Rostoffs, the family that I stayed here with, had a little girl named Alina. She's the one who taught me Russian. I called her моя младшая сестра."

"Little sister," she murmured softly. "Something happened to her?"

He sighed. "She was killed a few years ago. I bought the house not long after that."

"I'm sorry." She didn't know what else to say. So she wrapped her arms around him, trying to be there for him as he had been there for her today.

Callen smiled as he returned the embrace. After a long moment he took a step back. "We should get going if we want to get to the furniture store before they close. Besides, I'm starving and you must be as well since I doubt that doughnut was enough to fill you."

She shrugged but let him lead her out of the room and to the front door. She glanced again at the nearly empty front room, shaking her head. She'd never seen anyone with so few belongings. As she passed the doorway her eyes landed on the plant and a small box sitting on the mantle. She wondered what the story was behind them. She glanced at her father. Maybe she'd ask him later.

A short while later they found themselves seated at a diner, looking at a menu. "Anything look good to you?" Callen asked.

"I'm not really hungry," Callie told him as she put the menu aside.

He sighed. "I know, but you have to eat something or you're going to make yourself sick." He glanced at the menu. "How about this? I'll order the combo platter for two and we'll share it, okay? You just eat what you can. Anything we don't finish we'll have them pack up for us for later."

"Okay."

The waitress came and he placed their order. He studied the teenager carefully as they waited for the food. "So, tell me about yourself."

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything. All I know is that you're fourteen, apparently too brave for your own good, you like dogs, and you speak Gaelic and Russian."

"And Spanish," she added, a small smile on her face after his recitation. "Latin too, though I'm not fluent. I learned those in school."

"Well I knew you could curse in Spanish, after you laid into Granger. I doubt that was learned in the classroom."

Her smile widened. "You'd be surprised. I can also curse in Japanese, Italian and Mandarin." At his surprised look she laughed. "My school is very diverse. I would spend recess learning various insults and curses from students who spoke different languages."

"Why?" Callen was definitely curious. He thanked the waitress as she delivered their food. A smile formed on his face as he watched Callie absently pick up a cheeseburger slider and take a bite while she explained.

"Well other than the fact that I want to be able to really insult someone if they piss me off, I also want to know if I'm being insulted. There's also the fact that you can't learn all of the little things about a language in the classroom. You have to interact with native speakers, pick up their slang. Trading insults is a good way to do that."

He knew all of this of course, but he was surprised that she did. "You must be really good at picking up languages." Something she had probably inherited from him.

She blushed slightly. "I guess, I just like to be able to understand what people around me are saying."

"Nothing wrong with that. So, what's your favorite subject in school?" He decided to keep her talking. It seemed to be helping her with her appetite. He studied her intently as she spoke, learning about her from what she said and didn't say. Her expressions as she mentioned a subject she liked such as English literature, or one she didn't, like math. Slowly he was putting together a picture of just who his daughter was.

"So school's out now, right?" He asked, remembering Sam mentioning something about that the other day.

"Yep, summer vacation. Mom and I would normally make plans to take a trip somewhere, she liked to travel." And then her demeanor changed as she slumped in her seat, pushing the rest of the platter toward him. "I'm full, you can have the rest."

Callen mentally berated himself for bringing the subject up. It had just seemed like the next logical thing to say. He sighed as he looked at the remaining food. At least she had eaten something. "I'm done too," he told her, motioning for the waitress. "Can we get the rest of this boxed up? Thank you." He watched Callie as she picked at a crack in the table. Reaching out he placed his hand over hers. "I know it hurts, I wish there was something I could do to make it better."

She lifted her eyes to meet his and gave him a watery smile as she turned her hand over and squeezed his hand lightly. "You're already doing it. I don't think I would have gotten through today without you."

"I'm here for you, for as long as you need me. I'm not going anywhere." He watched as she took a deep breath and wiped her face with a napkin. The waitress returned with their packed food and he thanked her. Standing up, he left the money for the food and a generous tip with the bill, then reached down to help Callie to her feet. "Come on, we've got some furniture to buy."

She glanced at him, a small smile tugging at her lips. "A brand new experience for you, I'm sure. Are you sure you're up to the challenge?"

He grinned down at her, glad to see her spark re-emerging. "And you must have had plenty of experience from the sounds of it. I guess I'll just have to trust you not to steer me wrong." Draping his arm over her shoulders he led her back to the car.


	17. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

Author's Note: I made a guess about Sam's children. We know he's got a daughter but not her age, though we did see her briefly so I'm guessing her to be about 7. And from the comment he made when he first mentioned her, we know he has at least one more. But since he only ever refers to one daughter and he talks about how he was so nervous after she was born, I'm guessing that his other child is a son and younger than the girl.

* * *

Callen stared. He'd thought this would be simple. Go in, find something Callie liked, pay for it and bring it home. Simple. But the sheer number of different sets available boggled his mind. He stared at one and did a double take at the price. Was it made of gold?

A salesperson spotted him standing there. He must have looked as lost as he felt because she immediately came over with a smile. "How can I help you?"

He looked at her gratefully. "My daughter, I've just gotten custody of her and we need a new bedroom set."

She glanced at Callie and smiled, taking in the bruises on her face. Poor thing, she wondered what had happened, it was probably why he had custody now. "Of course. Did you have anything in mind? Any preferences on the wood or color? Or did you want a metal frame? What size, twin, full or queen? Were there specific pieces you wanted, such as a desk or an extra chest of drawers?"

Her questions only further confused him. Was all of this really necessary?

Beside him Callie started to laugh as she watched his face. She couldn't help it, his face was the perfect picture of confusion. "Maybe you could just show us some different sets," she suggested. "With extra shelf space?" she added.

Callen sighed as the saleswoman, Stacy, led them over to a couple of sets. Callie examined them before shaking her head. They were then shown several more and the process repeated itself. He frowned as he noticed her lingering over one or two of them before glancing at the price and shaking her head. He frowned. They were a bit more expensive than he had been expecting but she shouldn't be worrying about that.

As Stacy led them to yet another set, he came up beside the girl. "Don't worry about the price. Just find something that you like."

She glanced at him. "But-"

"Trust me. I'm not rich but my pay is good and other than the house I haven't had to make any really large purchases. I can afford to get you a good bedroom set. And it's not like we're going to have to replace it again any time soon, we're looking for something that will last you at least a few years."

Callie bit her lip but nodded her agreement. Stacy called to get their attention and she turned to look at the next set and froze.

Callen looked at the set. The bed was a wooden platform bed with drawers for storage underneath. It was accompanied by a bedside table with two drawers and the standard chest of drawers. All made of the same rich, mahogany wood. But the main attention grabber was the large desk. It had a bookcase built into either side that extended up past the height of the desk before connecting to each other with another set of shelves. Remembering Callie's collection of books and other items, he knew it was perfect for her. The expression on her face as she gazed at it settled it for him. "We'll take it," he told Stacy.

Callie snapped out of her daze. "What? No, it's way too much!" It was even more expensive than the other sets they had looked at.

"Hey, I told you to let me worry about that. Besides, I owe you 14 years of birthday and Christmas presents." When she still looked doubtful he added, "We're getting it and that's final."

A small smile came across her face. "Giving me orders already, huh?" She wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you D-" she cut herself off, not sure if he wanted her to call him that. "Thank you," she repeated.

"You're welcome," he told her, not missing her slip but not wanting to push the issue yet. He turned to Stacy. "How soon can it be delivered?" He hesitated at that, not wanting strangers to know where he lived even if they didn't know who he was.

She led them over to a computer terminal. "You're in luck, we have it in stock. We can deliver it this weekend. Is Saturday good?"

Callen frowned at her response. That was three days away. Well two and a half. He didn't want to wait that long. "What if I pick it up myself? How long?"

Stacy frowned and typed something. "The earliest you could pick it up is tomorrow as we do need to prepare it to leave the warehouse. But you are aware that the shipping and assembly is a free service we offer, aren't you?"

"That's okay, I can handle it." He handed her his credit card, ignoring Callie's frown and had her add a mattress to the total. Signing the slip, he accepted the information packet Stacy handed him. "Thank you," he told her as he shook her hand and handed her a tip. "I really appreciate all of the help you provided."

"No, it was my pleasure," she answered, flashing him a bright grin. "If you have any other furniture needs or have any questions feel free to contact me. My card's with your paperwork."

"Thanks again," he gave her a smile.

Callie shook her head as they walked away. "She was so flirting with you."

Callen grinned. "She was doing her job."

"Yeah, how much you want to bet that's her private number not her work extension."

"What, you embarrassed that your father is still popular with the ladies?"

Callie snorted in amusement. "Yeah? And are these ladies going to help you move and assemble all of that furniture tomorrow? You won't be able to do it by yourself," she pointed out. "Why didn't you just wait for them to deliver it?"

He shrugged. He hadn't been comfortable with strangers wandering around his house to begin with. "I'll get Sam to help, he's good at the heavy lifting. It'll be fine, how hard can it be?" He ignored her incredulous look. "Besides, it would have taken too long for them to deliver. As it is I don't know where you're going to sleep tonight." He was sorry he hadn't been able to arrange to pick it up sooner.

"I can sleep on the floor for the night," she told him. He raised an eyebrow at her. "What? I've done it before at sleepovers. Mom's quilt is thick enough that I won't even feel the floor."

"If you're sure," he told her. She nodded and he let the matter drop. His phone chose that moment to ring. "Callen."

"_Hey G, just wanted to see how everything was going."_

"Hey Sam. We're good, a few rough spots here and there. Actually, we just finished purchasing Callie's bedroom set."

"_What?! My partner, Mr. G. 'I don't need any furniture' Callen, actually went into a furniture store and bought something and I missed it?!"_ Sam's incredulous tone carried through the phone. _"What store did you go to?"_

"Why?"

"_So I can have Eric pull the footage because I won't believe it until I've seen it."_

Callen snorted. "You can see the proof tomorrow," he told him. "You don't have any plans, right?"

"_Why?" _ He asked suspiciously.

"'Cause I could use some help transporting and assembling it."

"_You do know that most places provide those services," _Sam pointed out.

"They told me I'd have to wait until at least Saturday. Come on, didn't I help you with that dollhouse for your daughter? You owe me."

"_This isn't the same thing as a dollhouse,"_ Sam pointed out. _"But I'll be there. I'll see if Hetty will let us use one of the trucks."_

He shook his head. "Good luck with that."

"_I'll just point out it's for Callie's benefit. She's really happy for you, and she's not the only one. Besides, if she doesn't approve it Granger probably would."_

"Thanks Sam. I'll see you tomorrow."

"_See you tomorrow G."_

He pocketed his phone and turned to Callie. "See, got the big guy to help us."

"He's got kids?"

"Yeah, his daughter's seven and his son is almost four. You'll meet them soon. I tend to spend the holidays with them."

Callie studied him. "You guys are close?"

"He's my partner," he replied, as if that explained everything. Spotting the confusion on her face he tried to explain. "You have to trust your partner to have your back, and in order to trust your partner you have to know him. Know how he'll react in whatever situation you find yourself in." He watched her frown deepen. "What's wrong?"

"What you do, it's dangerous, isn't it?"

Callen placed his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. He sighed at the fear he saw in her eyes. She had just watched her mother die, of course the news that her newly discovered father's job was dangerous was going to upset her. "I won't lie to you, it can be. But that's why I have a team to back me up. We are very good at what we do."

"But what if you're not good enough?"

She was really asking if she was going to lose him too, he knew. "I have to trust that we will be. I can't promise that I won't be at risk but I can and do promise that I will be careful and always do my best to come back to you." He pulled her into an embrace, rubbing her back as she trembled slightly. "You don't have to worry about that now. I'm on leave from work, I'm not going anywhere for the time being."

"You promise?"

"Yes, the only place I'm planning to go right now is home, with you." He led her to the car.

They drove in silence. Callen cast the occasional glance at her as she sat there, staring out of the window. He wondered if he was being selfish, letting her get so attached. His job was dangerous, and while he was good at what he did all it took was for him to have one bad day or the bad guy to have one lucky one. How did Sam deal with the uncertainty? The knowledge that his kids could lose him at any time? He glanced at Callie again and pushed those thoughts away to be dealt with at a later time.

Pulling back into the driveway he turned to look at her. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking."

He sighed as he could guess just where her thoughts had been. "Well, we're back, as you can see." They got out of the car and headed for the front door. But upon entering he wondered if this was such a great idea as she stood there, obviously unsure of what to do. "You want something to drink? I think I've got some juice." He hoped he had something other than beer in his fridge. He couldn't remember the last time he had bought groceries.

"I am kinda thirsty," she admitted.

"Okay, I'll be right back," he told her as he went to the kitchen to refrigerate their leftovers and find something to drink.

Callie took the time to study the few objects in the room. With so few belongings how did he pass the time. The chair looked comfortable enough and the stack of books was telling. She glanced at the titles but none of them really caught her attention. Turning to the mantle, she studied the only other items in the room.

The plant was small and she'd never seen anything like it before. Studying the pot it was in she frowned as she realized that there was no indication it was ever watered. So how was it still alive?

Unable to come up with an answer, her gaze fell on the only other object on ledge. It was a small, plain box, with no indication of what could be inside. In fact, it looked like something that you would use to store tea packets or something similar. And yet, from the way it was positioned on the mantle and the lack of any other personal items, she knew it was somehow very important. Or what it held was. She was tempted to open it, to look inside. But she forced herself not to do it, that would be an invasion of privacy and she got the sense that her father was a very private person. She turned as she heard him approaching. "Thank you," she said, accepting the glass of orange juice.

"You're welcome. Something interesting?" he asked, watching her carefully.

"I was looking at your plant. I've never seen anything like it before." She took a sip of the juice, savoring the cold liquid as it went down her parched throat.

Callen looked at it and smiled. "Hetty again. She was trying to make a point. Actually it's the perfect plant for me as I don't even have to worry about watering it. It's very self-sufficient, drawing moisture out of the air."

"Self-sufficient like you?" Callie guessed. "You and Hetty are close?"

"We have a complicated relationship," he hedged. "But she's always been there for me when I needed her. Don't underestimate her based on her looks, she is one sneaky and tough lady."

"You really care about her."

"Her and the rest of the team. I never really knew my family. Growing up I learned to depend on only myself. That changed when I joined NCIS. Suddenly I had others I could count on, depend on. We became more than just a team, we became a family, with Hetty as the mother who keeps a tight rein over us."

She nodded, wondering where that left her.

He could see the question written in her eyes. "Hey, look at it this way, you didn't just gain a father, you gained honorary uncles and aunts."

Callie smiled slightly as she thought about it. A spark of devilish amusement flashed in her eyes. She watched as her father took a sip of his own drink before asking, "So I should call Hetty Grandma?"

Callen choked on his juice. Coughing a little to clear his lungs, he told her with a grin, "I want to be there to see her face if you do." Callie simply grinned back at him and he pulled her into a hug.


	18. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

Author's Note: I was originally unsure about how easily Callen discussed his past here because he's always seemed like such a private person. But then I remembered the times he's brought up personal things to help with a case, like that whole thing with his foster brother being killed. Or in Purity how he connected with that kid and then showed up to play ball with him after he went into foster care. So I figure he would open up to his daughter in an effort to put her at ease.

* * *

Callen stood in the doorway, watching as Callie spread the quilt out on the floor. "Are you sure about this? I can still get us a motel room for the night."

She just looked at him and rolled her eyes. "You have a perfectly good house right here, what do you need a motel room for?"

"So you don't end up sleeping on the floor," he told her.

"It doesn't seem like it's hurt you any," she replied.

He sighed. "At least take my bedroll."

She shook her head. "I'm not taking your bed or whatever you want to call it. I'm fine, I promise." She flopped down onto the quilt and stared up at him.

"If you're sure-"

"Yes!"

"I'm just down the hall if you need anything," he told her, hesitant to walk away but not knowing why.

"I know."

"Well, goodnight then."

"Goodnight." She rolled her eyes again as he finally walked away but a large part of her was very pleased with the attention. Silently she counted backwards and as she reached one he poked his head back in the doorway. "I'm fine, I promise. If I need anything I'll come and find you."

He knew he was overreacting. "Sorry," he told her sheepishly. He didn't know why he was acting this way, it's not like she was going to disappear if he let her out of his sight.

"It's just because you care. But I'll be fine and you're right down the hall, as you've said several times. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He walked away again, this time partially closing the door.

She waited a few minutes but this time he didn't return. With a sigh she completely laid down on the quilt, already missing his presence. Truly alone for the first time that day, her thoughts were preoccupied with the loss of her mother. With tears prickling her eyes she pulled part of the quilt over her. She fingered the material gently and inhaled her mother's scent that was ingrained in to it. Wrapping it around her tightly, she could almost imagine it was her mother's arms holding her, keeping her safe. She closed her eyes and drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

In the meanwhile, Callen had retreated to his chair with a bottle of beer. He took a sip, listening carefully but heard nothing. He reached down for one of the books on the floor but found he couldn't focus on the words and ended up tossing it back onto the pile. He sighed, wondering yet again what he was doing. He didn't know how to be a father, he was going to screw this up, he just knew it.

He didn't know how long he sat there, lost in his thoughts. Eventually he shook his head to clear it and stood. He left the now empty beer bottle in the kitchen and started to make his way to his room. But he paused in the doorway to Callie's new room, glancing through the partially open door at the figure lying on the floor. Unable to help himself, he entered, crouching down to stare at her face. There was just enough light coming through the door from the hallway for him to make out the tear tracks on her face and he sighed.

Gently, tenderly, he stroked her cheek. "I wish I knew how to make this better, make it hurt less," he whispered. She didn't respond, didn't even stir, and he stood. With one last glance at her he left, heading to his own room. Changing and lying down on his bedroll, the image of her tear-streaked face repeated over and over in his mind. He didn't know how long he lay there but eventually he drifted off to sleep as well.

He jerked awake an unknown amount of time later, his muscles tense. He listened carefully and heard it again. Someone was moving around in the house. Automatically reaching for his gun, he stealthily made his way through the house, searching for the intruder. Another noise drew him to the kitchen and he came around the corner, weapon instantly trained on the person there.

Callie jumped in surprise as he appeared in the doorway. Her eyes widened and the glass of water slipped out of her hand as she saw the gun pointed at her. It fell to the ground and shattered.

The noise shook Callen out of his shock and he quickly lowered the weapon, taking in the fear on her face. "Shit, Callie I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay?"

"I'm f-fine," she stuttered out, dropping her gaze to the floor. Her eyes landed on the broken glass. "I'm sorry! I'll clean it up!" She dropped down, reaching for the shards of glass.

"Stop! You'll cut yourself!" He quickly went around the other side of the counter, grabbing her and pulling her away from the broken glass. He lifted her up to sit on the counter and checked her hands then her bare feet and legs for cuts. Luckily it appeared the glass had missed her. "I'll take care of it. Why didn't you come get me when you woke up?"

She shrugged. "I just wanted a glass of water." She wouldn't meet his gaze.

Callen sighed, running his hand over his head. "I'm sorry Callie. I heard a noise and I reacted. I'm not used to having anyone else in the house."

"I shouldn't have wandered out."

"What? No, this is your house now too. You are free to go anywhere in it. I just have to get used to having someone else moving around." He gently lifted her head to face him. "Are we okay?"

She gave him a slight smile. "Yeah."

"Good. Wait here." He grabbed the broom and dustpan out of a closet and quickly cleaned up the mess. "I think I got it all."

"Sorry," she said again.

"Not your fault." He studied her. "What are you doing up? Bad dream?"

She nodded.

"Want to talk about it?"

She shook her head.

"Okay. Is there anything you do want to talk about? Or do you want to try to go back to sleep?"

Callie quickly cast her mind about for something inconsequential they could talk about. "Why does Sam call you G? What's it stand for?"

"It's my name," Callen said after a moment. At her frown he elaborated, "I was really young when I went into foster care, too young to even remember my own name other than that it started with a G. And apparently my paperwork was lost."

Her eyes widened. She hadn't meant to bring up what was obviously a sore subject, she'd thought it was an innocent question. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, you didn't know."

She bit her lip. "What about your family? Wasn't there anyone who could have told you?"

He sighed and lifted her down. Draping his arm over her shoulders he led her to the living room. Releasing her, he reached for the box on the mantle. "This box, it contains everything I've been able to find out about my past, where I came from."

Her eyes widened, it was so small. Everything he knew about his past fit into it? She watched as he started to open it and she shifted uneasily. "You don't have to-"

He gave her a small smile. "You deserve to know who I am, just like I'm trying to learn about you." He pulled out a photo of a dark haired woman.

Callie studied it. "She's pretty." She thought she could see a slight family resemblance.

"She was my mother, Clara. She worked for the CIA, was working on an operation in Romania when they lost contact. She turned back up several years later with me and my sister Amy, needing to be extracted. You see, her father had been an operative working in Romania and he had killed some members of a powerful crime family, setting off a blood feud. They killed him and vowed to end his line. When my mother went back there, they eventually killed her too."

She watched his face as he spoke. "You saw it happen, didn't you?"

He nodded.

She wrapped her arms around him, he did understand what she was going through. "How old were you?"

"Five."

Her eyes widened, she was having trouble dealing with her mother's death at 14 how had he handled witnessing it at 5?

"For the longest time I repressed the memory. It was only when I came face to face with the ones responsible that I remembered."

"They're still around?" Fear filled her. Would they come back to finish the job?

"Most of them are dead now, we had a run in a year ago."

"But-"

"Don't worry about it, I'll keep you safe." He drew her to his side and sunk to the floor, pulling her down to sit beside him as he gently held the box in his lap.

She frowned, it wasn't just her that she was worried about.

Returning the picture to the box he next pulled out a small book. "This contains the address of every foster home and orphanage I ever stayed in."

Callie stared as he flipped through the pages, seeing the many different addresses. She knew what he had said but to see it with her own eyes...

"It also lists the places my sister stayed." He pointed to a few entries near the back. There were far fewer entries than there were for him.

"You weren't kept together?"

"I'm not even sure how we ended up in America, but once we did we were split up. Amy, there was an accident and she died." He shook his head. "I didn't even remember that I had a sister until I came face to face with someone who had known her in one of the orphanages."

"I'm sorry." She was saying that a lot tonight, wasn't there anything else she could say?

"I'm not trying to make you sad," Callen told her, seeing the upset look come across her face. "I just thought you might want to know more about me, and my past."

"I do, I just, I don't want to make you relive the bad memories."

He smiled at her, if a little sadly. "There were good memories too." He pulled out the other picture from the box and showed it to her.

She studied it. There were two people in the picture, a teenage boy who was obviously a much younger version of her father, and a little girl who he was holding. Something about the picture bothered her, and she looked closer. Her eyes widened as she realized that it was taken in this very room. "Is that-?"

"Alina," he confirmed.

"You looked happy."

"I was." He pulled her a little closer. "So while there were a lot of bad memories, I also have good ones."

Callie handed the picture back to him and bit her lip. "Wait here," she told him before climbing to her feet and darting out of the room.

Callen stared after her in confusion before returning the picture to the box and placing it back on the mantle. He turned as Callie returned carrying the quilt and a small shoebox. She sat down and draped the quilt around her shoulders. "Cold?" he asked her, frowning. She wasn't getting sick, was she?

She shook her head. "Tradition. Whenever I couldn't sleep or Mom and I had an important talk, she would wrap this around us. I figured this qualifies as both." She hesitantly held one end of the quilt out to him.

He smiled at her as he sat back down, draping the offered material over his own shoulders and pulling her back to rest against his side. "What's that?" he asked as she fingered the box in her hands. He watched as she started to chew on her lip, obviously nervous. "You're going to make you lip bleed again," he told her.

She forced herself to stop biting her lip. "I figured since you shared your past with me I should do the same." She quickly shoved the box into his hands.

Callen took it and stared at it but didn't open it. Instead he turned to her, taking in how nervous she appeared. "You don't have to. As much as I want to know everything about you, I want you to be comfortable with me knowing." He started to hand the box back to her.

Callie stopped him. "No, I want you to open it. Please."

He couldn't ignore the pleading tone in her voice. Plus he was very interested in what the box could contain. He placed it in his lap and lifted the lid.

The first thing he saw was a piece of folded construction paper. He took it out and opened it, staring at it. At one point glitter had been glued to it but it appeared that most of it had fallen off with the passage of time, though some bits remained in a few places. Two stick figures were drawn under something that resembled a rainbow. Written in big, crooked letters was 'dAddY' followed by a heart and signed 'cAllE'. He turned his head to look at Callie who kept her eyes fixated on what he now knew was a card.

"Every Father's Day, the art teachers would have us make a card or some other project, something we could give to our fathers. But I didn't have anyone to give it to. So I made them, then I would bring them home and put them in this box. I couldn't bring myself to just throw them out, part of me always hoped that one day you would show up and I'd be able to give them to you then." Tears were welling in her eyes and she couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze.

Callen closed his eyes, he remembered those types of projects and how he had hated them because he never had anyone to give them to. He hated that he had caused his daughter the same pain he had gone through. "I'm sorry," he told her as he wrapped his arms around her, drawing her to rest against his chest. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you growing up. I should have been."

She shook her head. "It's not your fault, you didn't know."

"But I should have. And I promise you, I'm here for you now." He held her like that for another long moment before pulling back slightly. Keeping one arm around her, he used his free hand to carefully remove and examine each and every item in the box. He watched as her spelling and handwriting improved, as the pictures drawn became more elaborate and detailed. And he also noted the presence of discolored spots where tears had fallen and long since dried.

Carefully replacing them in their box, he set them aside and turned to his daughter, pulling her completely into his lap. "Thank you," he told her, holding her tight. "Thank you for making them, thank you for keeping them, and thank you for sharing them with me now. You have no idea how much it means to me." He placed a gentle kiss on the side of her head. "I love you," he told her, saying the words to another person for the first time that he could remember. "I love you Callie, моя дочь."

Callie sobbed against his chest at his words, her arms wrapping tightly around him as well, feeling as if her heart was going to burst. She'd longed to hear those words from him her entire life, even without knowing who he was. "I l-love you too," she sobbed out. "D-daddy. I love you Daddy."

Now it was Callen who felt as if his heart was going to burst. He'd never felt so happy, joyous, elated. No, none of those words were right. There wasn't a word to describe how he felt at the moment. So he simply held her, savoring the feeling of her in his arms, her words repeating over and over in his mind.

Eventually she fell asleep in his arms, worn out from the emotional roller coaster of their conversation. He continued to hold her, unwilling to release her. It was only the realization that she couldn't be very comfortable sitting like that that eventually caused him to move. Ensuring that the quilt was completely wrapped around her and that she was held securely in his arms, he stood. He started to head toward the bedrooms but paused. Glancing down at the shoebox on the floor, he carefully retrieved it while keeping a firm grip on Callie. He set it carefully, almost reverently on the mantle beside the box containing his past. Then he turned and strode from the room.

Callen paused only briefly in front of the door to Callie's room before shaking his head. He couldn't stand the thought of being separated from her, not yet. Besides, he didn't want to lay her down on the floor. Instead, he entered his own room, carefully settling her onto his bedroll. She stirred slightly as he put her down but settled when he brushed his lips against her forehead and sat down beside her. He sat there watching her with a smile as he gently ran his fingers through her hair. "I love you," he whispered again, settling in to keep watch over his daughter and chase away any nightmares that sought to disturb her sleep.


	19. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

* * *

He had no idea how long he had sat there, simply watching her sleep. He'd dozed off at one point only to wake up when she rolled over in her sleep to pillow her head on his leg, one hand clutching the bottom of his shirt. He'd thought she had woken up from another nightmare but she was still sound asleep. So he had placed his hand on her back and started to rub small circles. She had sighed in her sleep and snuggled closer to him.

Now the sunlight was just starting to filter through the window as she started to stir. He smiled down at her, thinking she looked absolutely adorable with sleep tousled hair as she lifted one hand to rub at her eyes. "Good morning sleepyhead," he greeted her.

Callie smiled up at him before realizing where she was. Her face scrunched up as she glared at him. "I told you I didn't want to kick you out of your own bed."

He stifled a laugh. He thought her look of disapproval was adorable. "I wasn't tired and I was fine where I was." He rose to his feet then extended a hand to help her up. "Sam will be here soon. If you want to take a shower, I'll see if I can scrounge up some breakfast for us."

She smiled at him. "Thanks, Dad," she said hesitantly before proceeding to do just that, with a small detour to retrieve some clothes from her room.

Callen grinned at her response and waited until he heard the water running before he quickly changed and headed to the kitchen to check his food stock. He didn't hold much hope of finding anything there. One search of the fridge and the cupboards later and he stepped back, shaking his head. "Definitely have to buy groceries today." Hopefully Sam wouldn't argue about stopping for something to eat on the way to pick up the furniture. At that moment he heard a vehicle pulling up and headed to the front to check it out.

He shook his head as he recognized one of the trucks they occasionally used for undercover work. "Guess Sam really did go to Hetty." He opened the door and stepped out. "You're here early," he said as he saw his partner exiting the truck.

"I told you, I want proof that you actually bought furniture," Sam told him, clapping him on the back. "And I've brought backup." He indicated the familiar silver car pulling up behind the truck.

Callen frowned slightly as Kensi and Deeks climbed out. "I wasn't expecting you guys. Thanks for coming," he said, touched by their actions.

"What? Pass up a chance to see you with furniture. I don't think so," Kensi shook her head at him. "And we didn't come empty handed." She held up a bag.

"Figured you didn't have anything edible in this place," Sam shrugged.

"You figured right. I really have to do some grocery shopping."

"Oh! I can do that with Callie while you boys do all of the heavy lifting," Kensi spoke up.

Callen eyed her suspiciously at her eager tone. But it was Sam who answered. "You do that and all he'll have in the house is more junk food." Callen was surprised at the glare Kensi directed at the other agent.

"Ignore them," Deeks said as he sipped at a large thermos, sounding like he wasn't fully awake yet. "Kensi's just upset that Sam insisted we stop at a bagel place instead of the doughnut place she wanted to go to. I had to listen to them argue and then Kensi complain the whole ride. You know how Kensi gets when she hasn't had her morning dose of sugar. Ow!" He glared at his partner as he rubbed his upper arm where she had punched him.

Callen shook his head at the byplay. "Well thanks. Come on in."

Callie was just entering the living room as they entered the house, her hair still damp from her shower. She'd changed into a clean t-shirt and jeans. "We're going to have to pick up a few things," she started to say before she spotted everyone. Her eyes widened. "Uh, hi."

Kensi and Deeks called out a quick hello.

"Hey Callie, this guy been treating you right or do I need to put him in his place?" Sam asked jokingly.

"What?! No, Dad's been great!" she hastily defended before blushing and dropping her gaze.

Sam's eyebrows rose at her comment and he turned to see Callen's reaction. His partner had a wide smile on his face as he gazed at the girl before meeting his gaze. Sam grinned at him and nodded, happy for his friend. "Well that's good. You just let me know if I need to straighten him out, alright? So, you hungry? We brought bagels."

They entered the kitchen and spread out around the counter, with Kensi distributing the bagels. As they started to eat, she studied the girl, wincing at the bruises that looked even worse than the previous day. One massive bruise covered nearly the entire left side of her face. It was mostly a dark purple though the edges had started to fade to a mottled mix of purple and green. Though they didn't appear to bother the girl any. "So what do you need to pick up?" she asked, curious.

Callie's eyes widened, and she glanced from person to person. "Oh, uh. Oh yeah! We forgot to get actual sheets and stuff for the bed."

Callen frowned at her nervous tone. He was sure that wasn't what she had been talking about earlier. But he decided to go along with it for now. There was no point in pushing her at the moment. "We can pick that up later, after we have the furniture."

If anything his words only agitated her more. "But-" Her eyes darted between the three guys before landing on Kensi. She gave her a pleading look.

Kensi's eyes narrowed. She had a feeling that it wasn't really bed linens that Callie needed to buy. "How about I take Callie to pick that stuff up while you guys get the furniture. After all, you're the ones who are going to be doing the heavy lifting." She nodded slightly as the girl gave her a grateful look.

Callen glanced from one to the other, knowing he was missing something. "You sure?"

"Yeah. And it'll give us a chance to get to know each other. Girl talk. You done Callie?"

She nodded eagerly. "Yep. See you later Dad," she called as she practically raced out of the room, Kensi following at a more sedate pace.

Callen glanced at the other two men. "Did I miss something?"

"If you did then we all did," Sam told him.

"Who can really understand the female mind," Deeks added. "But if you notice it got them out of here before any work had to be done."

With that the three men exited the house, climbed into the truck and left to pick up the furniture.

* * *

A few hours later Kensi pulled back up to the house.

"Thanks again," Callie told her gratefully, glancing meaningfully at the small paper bag. "I really wasn't ready to have that conversation with my dad."

Kensi smiled at her. "No problem, I remember how embarrassed I used to get when I had to ask my dad to run to the store for them. Of course, I have a feeling he was usually more embarrassed than I was."

Callie smiled back at her. "You think they're done yet?" she asked as she dropped the small bag into one of the larger ones containing her sheet set.

"We'll find out. I can't wait to see what your room looks like. It's still hard to picture Callen having any furniture in this house," she told her as she grabbed a couple of the bags, Callie taking the remaining ones. They entered the house.

As the door closed behind them, Deeks walked out of the kitchen, a beer in hand. "Sure, come back when all the work's already done," he teased.

"Isn't that what we keep you around for?" Kensi told him. "Where are Sam and Callen?"

He pointed back to the bedroom. "Still arguing about the positioning of the bed. Sam wants it near the window but Callen says that will cause the morning sun to wake Callie." He walked over to them. "So what did you buy?" He grabbed one of the bags from Kensi before she could stop him. "Ah-hah! I knew it! I knew you'd end up stopping somewhere else along the way. You had to get your sugar fix in." He pulled the brown paper bag out. "So what's in here? M&M's? Snickers?" He glanced inside as Callie made a strangled noise. "Uh, definitely not Snickers," he said right before a beet-red Callie snatched the bag from him and darted down the hallway, barely avoiding running into Callen and Sam. The slamming of the bathroom door echoed throughout the house.

Kensi glared at her partner before punching him in the arm.

He winced. "I deserved that."

Sam entered the room and gave them a confused glance. "What happened?"

"Callie? Callie?! Is everything alright? Callie answer me?" Callen's voice drifted down the hall as he stood outside the bathroom door.

"Go away! Leave me alone!"

He stared at the door as he heard the tears in her voice, tempted to break it down. But first he needed to know what had upset her before he made it worse. "What happened?!" he demanded as he joined his team in the living room.

"Deeks is an idiot," Kensi said, shooting her partner a glare.

Callen turned a murderous look on the detective. "What. Did. You. Do?!"

Deeks winced. "To be fair I thought it was Kensi's bag. Though the good news is I can now tell you exactly why Callie didn't want to go shopping with you." He backed up a step as his words did nothing to calm the older agent down.

Kensi decided to take a small measure of pity on her partner. She'd hate to have to break a new one in if Callen did end up killing him. "She's alright Callen, just mortified. Deeks embarrassed her by sticking his nose into something private."

Callen calmed down slightly at that. "She's okay?"

She nodded. "Though I don't envy her. She's already on an emotional roller coaster and now to have her hormones all out of whack?" She shook her head causing Callen and Sam to exchange confused looks.

"I feel sorry for you man," Deeks said. "It's not going to be easy dealing with a grieving teenager, but a grieving teenager with PMS? So not wanting to be in your shoes right now. OW!" He rubbed his arm where Kensi had just punched him, again. "What was that for?"

"What part of **private** don't you understand?" she hissed at him.

Callen's eyes had widened as realization dawned. No wonder Callie hadn't wanted him to take her shopping. "Thanks," he told the female agent, not ready for that experience.

Sam laughed. "Welcome to fatherhood G."

They heard the bathroom door open as Callie re-emerged. She kept her head down, not meeting anyone's gaze, a blush still staining her cheeks red as her arms wrapped around her torso.

Deeks winced at seeing how uncomfortable she was. "Hey Callie, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you." She simply shrugged. "Please say you can forgive me? Hopefully before either my partner or your dad decide to murder me and dispose of my body. 'Cause I gotta say, that's looking pretty likely right about now. And Sam would help them, I'm sure of it."

She lifted her head as he talked, a small smile tugging at her lips before she laughed at his outright begging. "Okay, okay, you're forgiven."

Callen smiled, glad to see her calmed down. "Hey, how about you go check out your room? Let us know what you think about how we arranged it."

"Yeah, I still haven't seen what this bedroom set looks like," Kensi said.

Callie nodded but paused next to her father. "Sorry for slamming the door in your face."

"That's okay. Just next time, try not to scare me so much by not answering. I was this close to breaking the door down," he told her, not completely joking.

"Okay," she grinned at him before heading toward her room. The others crowded in behind her as she stopped and stared. "Wow, it looks great. Thank you guys so much!" she said as she turned to give the three men a bright smile.

"It really does," Kensi agreed. "This is a really nice set of furniture. How the heck were **you **able to pick it out Callen?"

"Hey! I have great taste!"

Sam snorted. "Yeah right. Callie be honest, it was you who did all of the shopping yesterday, right?"

"She had to have, Callen wouldn't know the difference between a futon and a canopy bed," Kensi added with a grin.

Callie glanced nervously between her father and his team before gathering her courage and grinning. "You should have seen his face when we first entered the store, he couldn't believe how many different pieces there were. And when the saleslady started to ask him questions, his face was priceless!"

"Hey!" The team all laughed as Callen gave her a mock betrayed look but inside he was pleased with her response, especially after her earlier upset. It showed she was becoming comfortable with him and his team, comfortable enough to joke around and tease.

"So Callie, since you already got him to buy furniture once, what's the chances of the rest of this place being furnished any time soon?" Sam asked.

She gave him a look of mock surprise. "What do you think I am, a miracle worker? We have to take this one step at a time or we'll scare him off," she said, causing the others to laugh.

"Scare me off?" Callen questioned before picking her up and tossing her over his shoulder. "You're not getting rid of me that easily," he told her.

"Okay, okay, put me down. It was just a joke," she laughed.

The doorbell rang just then, and their laughter faded. Callen frowned as he put her down, not expecting any company. "Wait here," he told her, making his way to the door. He was aware of his team shadowing him, taking up strategic positions. He glanced out the window before signaling the all clear to them as he opened the door. "Hetty, Granger," he greeted. "What's wrong?" He stepped aside to allow them to enter.

"Owen has something he needs to discuss with you," Hetty told him. "And I found myself curious about this bedroom set, I had to see it for myself." She turned to Callie who had followed the others into the room. "Why don't you show it to me dear?"

Callie glanced nervously at the adults. "Okay." She paused to retrieve the bags of bed linens then led the older woman down the hall.

"I'm sorry to disturb you at home," Granger said, his eyes following the young girl. "How's she doing?"

"She's had good and bad moments. But today hasn't been too bad," he said, glancing at Kensi for confirmation and receiving a nod.

"Had no problems while we were out shopping," she added.

"Good." Granger sighed. "The coroner has released Erin's body. I've seen to the arrangements. The wake is tomorrow and the funeral on Saturday."

Callen briefly closed his eyes and nodded. "Thanks."

"My responsibility. She was family," Granger said. "And you had your hands full here." He glanced down the hallway. "She's not going to take it well."

"No. She knows that her mother is dead but she's having trouble accepting it. I think she's been exploring our relationship as a means to avoid thinking about it. It's going to hit her hard once she finally does." He knew it would, he'd been so focused on Callie that he hadn't really had time to accept Erin's passing himself. And he hadn't seen her in 15 years. The next few days were going to devastate her.

"Keep doing what you have been. Be there for her," Granger urged him. "I've also started the process of dealing with Erin's estate, what little she owned. It's all to go into a trust for Callie. You took anything that Callie wanted from the apartment, correct?" At Callen's nod he continued, "I'm going to have the rest packed up and put into storage in case she wants it at a future date. She doesn't need to be bothered with that at the moment."

Callen nodded then gestured down the hallway. "Go see her. I'm sure she'd appreciate a chance to talk."

Granger nodded and walked away.

"Never thought I'd see the day you and Granger were so chummy," Sam commented.

"Neither did I," Callen admitted. "But we have something very special in common, something too important to lose by fighting."

"Well said, Mr. Callen," Hetty said as she joined them. "Your daughter has excellent taste in furniture by the way. You might want to see if she'll help you decorate the rest of this rather empty house."

"One thing at a time Hetty, one thing at a time," he shook his head. "Let's get through the current crisis before you start in on me about my lack of furnishings."

"No!"

"Shit, Granger must have told her." Callen hurried to Callie's bedroom, the sounds of her sobbing growing louder with every step. Entering the room he found her in Granger's arms, hands ineffectively beating against his chest. "Callie?"

She tore herself out of her Godfather's arms to throw herself into his embrace. "No," she cried again. "We can't go, if we go that makes it real."

His heart felt like it was breaking as he listened to her cries. "I know, I know. I wish it wasn't but it is. I'm so sorry, моя дочь." He met Granger's eyes and an idea came to him. "Would you like to hear about how I first met your mother?"

Callie's sobs slowly quieted as she heard his question. She pulled her head back to look at him. "R-really?"

"Really. I've got plenty of stories to tell you. I'm sure your 'Uncle Owen' does as well."

Granger nodded. "I can tell you stories of when she was your age and the situations she got herself into."

They led her back to the living room to find the others waiting for them. "We're going to share some stories about Erin with Callie," Callen told them.

"In that case, perhaps we should order some food," Hetty said. "To sustain us as we honor her memory." She turned to Callie. "I did not have the honor of knowing your mother but I know she must have been someone special to have earned such love from you, as well as two such men as your father and your Godfather. I would be honored if you would allow me to remain and commiserate with you."

The rest of the team added their own sentiments and Callie nodded her agreement. Hetty made the call and they all found seats on the floor, with Callen pulling his daughter close as he started. "I had been with the ATF for a couple of months when I first ran into the spitfire known as Erin O'Rourke..."


	20. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

Author's Note: Little bit of a time jump here. Didn't really want to create Erin's whole backstory here since I already killed her off, and this story is supposed to be about Callen's relationship with his newly discovered daughter. I figure you can use your own imaginations if you want, maybe someday I'll do a prequel story of how Callen met her and fell in love, maybe not.

Also, there was a reason I set this when I did, after the episode "Endgame" and that reason becomes clear in this chapter and the next. I hope it is believable.

* * *

Callen stood with his arm wrapped around a trembling Callie, his face solemn as he watched the casket being lowered into the ground. Granger stood on Callie's other side, and the rest of the team, including Eric and Nell, were arrayed behind them, silently offering support. As the first shovelful of dirt was tossed onto the casket, the teenager turned and buried her face against his chest. His arms automatically wrapped around her, drawing her close as he allowed her to draw whatever comfort she could from his presence.

He was vaguely aware of the other attendees stopping by to offer their condolences but his main focus remained on the devastated girl in his arms. Eventually, the only ones who remained were them and the team. Or so he thought.

"Callen," a familiar voice said.

He looked up in surprise. "Nate." What was he doing here? His eyes fell on Hetty and he knew this was her doing.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"You came all of this way just to say that?" he asked, his voice skeptical.

"I think you know the answer to that. But it can wait, you have more important things to tend to right now," Nate nodded to the teenager who clung to the agent with no real awareness of her surroundings.

Callen nodded and started to lead Callie away. He paused as Hetty stepped up beside him. "Hetty?"

"I know you are on leave but there has been a new development that you need to be aware of. It can wait for the moment but providing you are up to it, I need the two of you to come to Headquarters on Monday."

Callen raised an eyebrow, wondering what it could be about but found that he couldn't be bothered with work at the moment. "Both of us?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I assume that you aren't quite ready to leave your daughter by herself, and the rest of the team is also needed at this briefing."

He frowned, hadn't she given all of them time off? "Just what is going on? Is whatever this is about the reason you brought Nate in?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing that can't wait until Monday, Mr. Callen. Go home and take care of your daughter."

He thought about pushing it but decided she was right. Callie was more important at the moment. If it was something that had needed immediate attention, she would have gotten another team to handle it. "I'll see you on Monday then." He led his still dazed daughter to the car.

Arriving back at the house, he brought Callie inside, leading her to her room. He glanced at her worriedly as she merely stood there. "Why don't you lie down for now? It's been a hard day."

She stared blankly at him. "Callie?" He sighed at the lost expression on her face and pulled her back into his arms. "It's going to be okay, I've got you." Her arms tightened around him and he gave silent thanks that she was responding at least that much. "Come on, you'll feel more comfortable out of that dress." Not to mention Hetty was the one who had provided it, but he could really care less about wrinkling it and incurring her wrath at the moment.

Callen released her and opened one of her drawers, pulling out an oversized t-shirt and some loose cotton pants. He held them out but she only stared at them uncomprehendingly and he realized he was going to have to do this himself. Placing the clothes on the bed he stepped behind her and lowered the zipper, hoping she would snap out of it enough to do the rest herself.

But Callie continued to just stand there. And so, feeling slightly uncomfortable, Callen slid the dress off of her shoulders before helping her step out of it and her shoes. He sighed, relieved, when she lifted her arms to allow him to pull the shirt over her head. At least she was responding that much. He then helped her step into the pants before sitting her on the bed. He gazed worriedly at her, suddenly thankful Nate was back. If she was still like this tomorrow he was going to have to seek help.

With yet another sigh, he picked up the dress and shook it out before hanging it up in the closet. However his actions took him out of Callie's line out of sight and she reacted for the first time since the funeral.

"No! Daddy! Come back!" Her eyes darted around the room frantically as sobs shook her body.

Callen was instantly at her side. "I'm right here Callie. Shh, it's okay."

'Y-you left," she sobbed accusingly.

"No I didn't. I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere."

"D-don't leave me t-too," she begged.

"Not going anywhere," he promised her again. He leaned back and pulled off his suit jacket and tie before kicking off his shoes and climbing onto the bed beside her. "I'm right here, I've got you." Pulling her into his arms he laid down with her clinging to his chest, his arms soothingly rubbing up and down her back. After a few minutes her sobs quieted as she slipped into an uneasy sleep.

Callen continued to hold her, soothing her whenever her rest was disturbed by dreams. After a few hours, she woke and he was relieved to see some awareness return to her gaze. "Hey," he greeted. "Glad to see you awake. Let's get you something to eat." He started to slide out from under her only to have her hands tighten around his shirt.

Callie stared up at him with fear in her eyes. "Don't leave me," she begged.

He kissed her forehead. "Not going anywhere." He stood and helped her to her feet, draping his arm over her shoulders as he led her to the kitchen. He shook his head at the container of soup sitting on the counter. He never had made it to the grocery store but **somehow** food kept ending up at his house. He made a mental note to thank Hetty as he quickly reheated the soup before pouring it into two bowls, feeling Callie's eyes watching him the entire time.

"'m not hungry," she said as he placed one in front of her.

"I know but you have to try to eat something."

She sighed but lifted the spoon to her lips, managing a few bites before setting it down and pushing the bowl away.

Callen sighed but at least she'd eaten a little. "Feel any better?"

She shrugged. "'m tired," she mumbled.

He returned the uneaten soup to the container and helped her back to her room. The rest of the day continued much the same. He'd hold her and comfort her until she slept for an hour or two, then he'd try to get her to eat.

He was worried about her sudden dependence on him, how she wouldn't let him out of her sight. He'd gone to use the bathroom and she had become hysterical. He'd had to talk to her through the door to keep her from barging in, and once he had exited she had wrapped herself around him, refusing to let go. And when she had finally admitted needing to go herself, he had thought she was going to drag him inside as well. Thankfully, she had settled for leaving the door cracked so she could see him standing with his back to it as he talked to her. It was as if she was afraid he was going to disappear at any moment. He resolved to talk to Nate, he didn't think this was normal behavior.

The next day continued in much the same way, though Callen was pleased to note that Callie managed to eat more and sleep less than the previous day. She was still reluctant to let him out of her sight but was not becoming as hysterical as she had the previous day and no longer freaking out over him going to the bathroom.

* * *

Monday morning came and Callen gently woke Callie. "Hey," he greeted her as she blinked up at him.

She frowned in confusion at seeing him dressed. "What's going on?"

"I have to go into the office for a little bit, some paperwork I have to deal with for Hetty." He watched as her eyes got wide with fear. "So get dressed while I get the toast ready, ok?"

"I'm coming with you?" she asked in surprise.

"Unless you don't want to?"

"No, that's okay." She tossed the covers aside and made her way to her dresser as Callen exited the room.

It was a much relieved Callen who drove them to OSP that morning. Callie had managed to eat a full one and a half pieces of toast, and she was acting much less afraid than she had over the previous days. She still kept close but she hadn't freaked out when he'd left the room to retrieve his keys and wallet. That was progress. Maybe it had just been the combination of her grief and her hormones being out of balance do to her 'condition' that had caused her to react the way she had.

Entering the building, they found the rest of the team already there and returned their greetings. He watched as Callie approached Kensi and Deeks, laughing at their antics.

Sam joined him. "How's she doing?"

"Had a rough couple of days but I'm hoping the worst of it is over now. She seems to have been improving, accepting that Erin's really gone."

The larger man nodded. "And you?"

"Wishing there was something more I could do for her. Nate," he greeted as the psychologist joined them.

"Callen. You're already doing everything you can just by being there for her."

He sighed. "You think you can maybe talk to her? I was a little worried about her reactions this weekend, though she seems to have improved." He quickly explained about her near catatonia and then her hysterical fear.

"Sounds to me like she was worried about losing another parent, especially after just finding you. Perfectly normal, if a bit extreme. But I'll be happy to talk to her." He regarded the agent. "How are you doing?"

Callen shook his head. "I'm fine."

"It's a big change, discovering you have a daughter and gaining custody all at once. Not to mention losing someone you cared a great deal about, even if you hadn't seen them in so long." Nate watched him carefully.

"I'm dealing with it. But my main focus has to be on Callie. She needs me." His eyes turned to look at her, in time to see her glancing back at him. Checking to make sure he hadn't gone anywhere, he knew.

Nate nodded. "Okay, but if you want to talk-"

"I know where to find you." He held out a hand, motioning, and Callie walked over to them. "Callie, I want you to meet a friend of mine. This is Nate."

Her eyes widened as she stared up at him. "No fair," she mumbled before she could stop herself. A blush instantly covered her cheeks as she stared at the ground.

Nate raised an eyebrow at her reaction. "What's not fair?"

Her blush deepened. She glanced at her father and the amusement written on his face gave her the courage to add, "You hogged all of the tall genes, didn't you?"

A smile tugged at his lips. "A little self-conscious about your height?" At her glare he held up his hands. "There is nothing wrong with being short. Lots of short people end up doing great things. Just look at Hetty."

Movement behind the men caught Callie's eye. Putting on a confused look she asked, "So, you're saying I should try to be more like Hetty?"

Sam shook his head. "He better not be, there's only room in the world for one Hetty."

"And why is that Mr. Hanna?" Hetty's voice came from behind the large agent, causing him to freeze.

"Just saying that you're perfect the way you are and you know what they say about too much of a good thing," he hastily covered.

Hetty simply gave him a look before turning to his partner. "Mr. Callen, there is some paperwork I need to go over with you before the briefing. I'm sure Mr. Getz would be more than happy to occupy Callie for the moment."

Callen glanced at Nate who nodded. "I'll be right over there," he told Callie who was nervously biting her lip before she nodded. Then he turned and followed Hetty to her office.

Assistant Director Granger was waiting for them. "Here," he said, holding out a file.

Callen took it and looked inside. His head shot up, surprise written on his face. "This is-"

Hetty nodded. "The custody paperwork. I hope you don't mind but we took the liberty of arranging everything for you as you've had your hands full this past week. All that's needed is your signature and then it can be filed."

He shook his head. "I don't know what to say. Thank you doesn't seem to be enough."

"No need Mr. Callen. We understand." She held out a pen.

He took it, and glancing back at Callie where she was sitting and talking to Nate, quickly signed on all of the indicated spots.

"Hetty is right, Agent Callen. Just take care of her," Granger told him, accepting the file back from him.

"I will," he met the older man's eyes, sincerity shining through his eyes. "But this wasn't the only reason you had me come in. What's going on?"

Hetty and Granger exchanged a look. "Evidence has come to light about how Connors found Erin," Granger told him.

Callen glanced between the two of them. "It's not good." It wasn't a question. "She was betrayed?"

"Everything will be explained in a few minutes," Granger told him. "Right now you have to get Callie settled before we head up to Ops. This isn't something for her to hear."

Callen felt a surge of dread go through him. Whatever they had found, it was definitely going to be bad. He rejoined the others, heading to Callie's side. "Hey, how's it going?"

She smiled up at him, obviously relieved to see him. "He asks a lot of questions," she said, referring to Nate.

"Yeah, he does. You okay?"

She nodded.

"Good. Listen, I have to head upstairs with the others. It shouldn't take long. Will you be alright down here?" He watched as she bit her lip and nodded. "There's some candy in the bottom drawer of my desk if you get hungry. Just don't tell Kensi." He winked at her and she laughed. "I'll be back soon."

He glanced at the others and they nodded, heading up to Ops. With one last glance at the girl now sitting at his desk he followed. Entering the room he asked, "What do we have?"

Eric and Nell exchanged a look, clearly nervous about whatever they were going to reveal. "A laptop was recovered from the factory," Eric started. "An examination of it's contents revealed this email." He brought it up on the big screen.

"_Thought you might be interested."_ Was the message.

"There was a file attached." Nell opened it, displaying surveillance photos of Erin, some including Callie. Obviously taken over a period of time. "Their address was also included in the attachment."

Callen clenched his jaw. "So someone betrayed Erin to Connors. Do we have a lead on who sent the email?"

Eric and Nell exchanged another look. "The sender's address was a dead end. But there was something else embedded in the email that told us who sent it. The person who sent it knew that we would eventually discover it, it was meant for us not Connors." Eric nervously pressed a few keys and an audio file began to play.

Callen felt as if he'd been punched in the stomach, his blood freezing in his veins as he heard the familiar hoarse, accented voice. _"Agent G. Callen. I told you I know who you care about."_

* * *

Author's Note 2: I'm being evil ending it there, I know. But it was such a perfect place to leave it, just like in an episode where they would cut to commercial after a big revelation. I'm going to try my best to have the next chapter up tonight so as not to leave you hanging. So who's figured out who the voice belongs to? Most of you, I bet.


	21. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

Author's Note: Okay, this is the longest chapter yet. I just couldn't find a good stopping point. It becomes a crossover with the original NCIS here as Callen and Callie go on a little trip. I hope I've gotten the characterizations right. Figure this takes place at least a month after the bomb went off at NCIS, so people are back at work though renovations are still being done. Been a while since I saw those episodes so I hope I didn't get anything wrong.

* * *

"_Agent G. Callen. I told you I know who you care about."_

He'd know that voice anywhere though he never expected to hear it again. Marcel Janvier. Ignoring the glances his team was sending him, he glared furiously at the technical operator and analyst in the room. "How the hell did Janvier get away from the Iranians and why didn't we hear about it?!"

Eric visibly flinched back from the rage in the team leader's voice. "He, uh, he didn't."

"What?!"

"The email was sent over a month ago," Eric started.

Nell took over the explanation. "It looks like it was supposed to take place at the same time as his plan to sell out to the Iranians, to split your attention. But it took Connors this long to verify and get into a position to make his move."

Callen let the words sink in, forcing his anger down. It simmered beneath the surface as he questioned them. "But how the hell did Janvier know about Erin? And the connection to Connors? That was years ago."

"We don't know yet Mr. Callen," Hetty answered. "But then, how did he know any of what he did? About Agent Renko, Agent Hunter or our operative in Iran? He was very good at finding out things he should not know. And he had a personal stake in taking you out."

"It's obvious that Janvier found a way into your files from the ATF," Granger spoke up. "There is no telling what else might have been compromised. As of this moment your status is no longer operational until we have a chance to find out what other surprises might be waiting to pop up."

Callen shook his head. They had it all wrong. "It's not my status that we have to check. Janvier wanted me dead, but he wanted me to suffer before he killed me himself. He said it himself, he knows who I care about." He turned to glance at the rest of his team. "He'd have gone after all of you."

"You have a point Mr. Callen. Unfortunately, we don't know how Janvier received his information to begin with, so we don't know who might be compromised. We have to assume that everyone here is. So as of this moment, this team is on stand down until further notice."

"What? But Hetty-" They all made to protest but she held up her hand.

"This comes directly from Director Vance and SecNav. Until we have had a chance to check for leaks, this team is not field operational. Consider yourselves on leave until further notice. But be careful and keep your eyes open."

Callen was standing stock still as it sunk in. Because one man had a vendetta against him, his team's lives were at risk. And Erin, Erin was dead, his daughter without a mother because his bullet hadn't done it's job. He should have killed that bastard when he had the chance. Rage filled him at the thought, blocking out everything else. Turning, he stalked out of Ops. He had to get out of there, he was so angry. He wanted to hit someone or something. But before he could do more than walk out of the door, he found himself grabbed and pushed against the wall. "Let me go Sam," he said, voice deceptively calm but inside he was raging.

"Not happening G. You need to calm down before you do something you'll regret."

Callen glared at him. "And you need to stay out of it." He tried to pull away but Sam held him firm.

"Do I gotta knock some sense into your stubborn ass? You forget about that little girl down there? What do you think it's gonna do to her to see you in this state?"

It was like a bucket of ice water had been tossed on him. "Callie," he said softly, the fight going out of him as he slumped in his partner's grasp. "Oh God, she didn't see-?"

"Kensi and Deeks are keeping her occupied," Nate spoke up from where he had been standing a few feet away.

"This is all my fault," Callen said, raising a hand up to rub his face as Sam finally released him. "Erin's dead and the whole team might be compromised, all because one bastard that I should have killed wanted to get back at me."

"Erin's death was not your fault. Connors killed her and Janvier was the one who told him where to find her."

"Because of me! Because he wanted to hurt me! And Callie, she could have died too." He slumped against the wall. "I bring death and pain to everyone around me," he said quietly. It seemed that everyone he had ever cared about ended up dying. Starting with his mother and most recently Erin.

"That's not your fault G. You're not the one causing it. And you have people who care about you, that you haven't lost. My family adores you, the team depends on you. And that little girl down there thinks the world of you." Sam could see where his partner was headed and wanted to end those thoughts before they took root.

"And because of one man's vendetta against me they're all in danger. What the hell am I supposed to do?" What about Callie? Had he just put her in even more danger by taking custody of her?

"Protect them the best that you can Mr. Callen," Hetty spoke up as she joined them. "You are part of a team. You have to trust one another to be handle the situation."

He let her words sink in. He could trust his team, he already did, every day. So there was a new threat against them, there was always some threat or another but they always had each others backs. But Callie. Could he really put her at risk? But how could he let her go now? She would be devastated. He couldn't put her through that, not after she'd just lost her mother. So he'd have to do what Hetty said, protect her the best that he could. He turned to meet her gaze and nodded his understanding before taking a step toward the stairs.

"Callen," Nate called, continuing when he turned to look at him. "You're strong, you'll get through this. Just don't take everything on yourself. It isn't all your fault, and you don't have to go it alone."

"I'll try," he said before pausing. "Nate, what did you get from Callie?"

"It's what I thought, she's afraid of losing you, especially since the relationship is so new and she's not quite sure where she stands with you. I'd expect her nervousness to begin to fade soon and then she'll start trying to push the boundaries. You'll have your work cut out for you then. You'll need to set limits and be firm about them while reassuring her that it doesn't mean that you care any less."

"Thanks Nate." He stepped up to the rail and looked down at the bullpen, watching as Callie joked with Kensi and Deeks. She glanced up, spotting him. He waved at her and she smiled. He turned as Hetty joined him. "Something else?"

She nodded. "SecNav and Director Vance want to be briefed on the current situation, in person."

He didn't like where this was going. "Thought that was Granger's job."

"He is going but they want to hear from you. After all, you were the one who spent the most time with Janvier, the one he was obsessed with. They believe that you have a unique view on this situation."

"No." He looked back down at the girl. "I'm not leaving her."

"I didn't think you would. I wouldn't dream of trying to separate you two at the moment." Hetty handed him two tickets. "Go to Washington, attend the briefing, and then spend time with your daughter. Act like two tourists on vacation. If I'm not mistaken you have a friend out there that you might want to catch up with."

"Gibbs." He'd been planning to call him but this way he could tell him in person. "Thanks Hetty."

"Of course Mr. Callen. And rest assured, Mr. Beale and Ms. Jones are currently scouring all resources, looking for any activity that indicates another leak. If it's there they will find it and then we will neutralize the threat." Her face had a determined cast to it.

He nodded. "Then I had better go and collect my daughter. We have some packing to do before our flight." He headed down the stairs.

Callie looked up as he approached. She frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing for you to worry about. Just some unexpected news. Come on, we've got to go home and pack."

"Why?" she asked nervously.

"I have to go to Washington for a meeting."

Her eyes widened. "Y-you're leaving?"

He draped an arm across her shoulders. "Hey, I said we had to pack. The meeting shouldn't take too long and then we can explore the city. You did say you usually traveled during the summer. Have you ever been to D.C. before?" They exited the building.

"Thoughts Mr. Getz?" Hetty asked from where she remained at the top of the stairs.

"They're both grieving though Callen isn't conscious of it yet. But they're helping each other through it."

"And about the current situation?"

"I admit, I was worried about Callen's reaction, especially after he blamed himself. He has a tendency to try to handle everything on his own. But she's good for him. Now he has to think of her well-being as well. Did you see how he instantly calmed at the mention of Callie seeing him upset? He's not going to do anything that will put her at risk or hurt her. So do I believe he's going to do something rash? The answer is no, not while he has her to think about." He turned to face Hetty. "But you already knew that, it's part of the reason you arranged for Callie to go with him."

Hetty neither confirmed or denied his words. "Thank you Mr. Getz."

Nate shook his head but recognized the dismissal and headed down to join the others.

"Did you get the answers you were looking for?" Owen Granger asked as he joined her.

"Just confirmation of what I already knew." She turned to look at him. "Don't you have a plane to catch?"

He regarded her for a moment before shaking his head. "Despite how you like to make yourself seem, you don't know everything. I knew you were worried about Callen's reaction, it's why you had him sign the custody papers before the briefing. You were afraid he would try to push Callie away when he heard the news, something that would be harder if the paperwork was already in place."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "And you weren't?"

"No, not after all of the efforts he's made with her over the last few days. That would devastate her and the last thing he'll do is cause her more pain. Don't be so surprised, I was wrong about him once, I don't make the same mistakes twice." He checked his watch. "Now I have a plane to catch. Do try to keep the situation under control here."

"Cheeky bastard," Hetty muttered as he turned and walked away.

* * *

One plane flight and a night in a hotel room later found Callen and his daughter on the way to the Navy Yard. Callen had picked up some brochures on the way through the airport and Callie was looking through them during the cab ride. "We could check out the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. Oh, but then there's also the Smithsonian." She bit her lip as she tried to decide which she wanted to see more.

Callen shook his head at her enthusiasm. "Take it easy, we have plenty of time. We'll visit anything you want to before we head home."

She smiled at him for a moment, then it faded. "How long is your meeting going to be?" She was worried that he was going to be stuck in it all day, worried that it might end up taking the whole trip. She remembered that happening a lot with Uncle Owen, he'd come to visit only to spend the entire time on the phone or having to cut the visit short.

"Hey, even if the meeting takes longer than it should, I'll just change our flight. Don't forget, after this meeting I'm on vacation, and I'll be spending all of it with you."

She smiled again.

"Okay, we're here. This is as far as I go," the driver said, indicating the security barrier.

Callen frowned, he should have anticipated the heightened security after the bombing. "Thanks," he paid the driver and exited. Callie joined him as he showed his badge and identification to the security guard.

The guard nodded then turned to Callie. "I.D.?"

Callen fought the urge to roll his eyes. "She's a kid," he pointed out. "And she's with me."

The guard looked sheepish. "I have to ask," he defended. "I'm also going to have to check her bag." He pointed at the backpack.

Callie met her father's eyes and this time he did roll them before gesturing for to hand it over. The guard quickly went through and handed it back. "Sorry about that but orders are orders. Have a nice day."

"You too," Callen told him before leading Callie into the Navy Yard. "It's going to be a bit of a walk. They've been restricting access since the bombing."

She nodded. "I saw that on the news. Was it really as bad as it looked?"

"A lot of people were injured, some killed."

She glanced at him. "People you know?"

"Everyone I know here got out alright."

She nodded. "Is- is it going to be a problem? Me being here?"

He stopped, turning to look at her. "No! And if they don't like it then they don't need to hear my report. Besides, like I said, I have some friends here who will be more than happy to show you around, alright? I bet you'll really like Abby." He grinned at her.

A few minutes later they reached the NCIS building. They stopped to stare at the damage still present. Callen shook his head at the destruction. "Come on," he said, leading her inside where they were stopped at another checkpoint.

Callen's badge cleared him but the guards insisted on checking Callie over. "She's not on the list," one said, checking said list.

Callen's patience was wearing thin. "She's with me," he said through gritted teeth.

"She still has to be cleared."

He sighed, waiting while they got someone on the phone to approve this. He glanced around and spotted a familiar face. "Agent McGee," he greeted.

Timothy McGee looked up in surprise. "Agent Callen." He came over and shook the other agent's hand. "What brings you to Washington?"

"Debriefing. That is if we can ever get upstairs."

McGee frowned. "What's the problem?"

"Apparently you have to be on a list to gain access to the building."

"Your badge should have cleared you," McGee's frown increased. He blinked as he noticed the young girl standing behind the other agent for the first time. "Er, hello."

"Hi," she replied.

"It's okay, I've worked with Agent McGee in the past. This is Callie, my daughter."

"Nice to meet you Callie." He turned to the security guards. "I'll clear her presence." He trusted the other man and the resemblance was obvious. Besides, what harm was a kid going to cause?

"If you say so Agent McGee. She still has to go through the metal detector though."

Callie rolled her eyes as the other guard took her bag to search it. Like something was missed at the gate. She stepped through the scanner, blinking in surprise as it went off.

"Empty your pockets."

She did, there was nothing in them. He gestured her through again and it went off again.

He started to run a hand scanner up her body. "Any jewelry?" he asked as it beeped. Her hand automatically flew to the locket around her neck. "You're going to have to remove it." Her eyes widened and she took a step back, her eyes searching for her father's, pleading with him.

"Is that really necessary?" Callen asked, seeing her obvious upset. Still he knew the answer. He stepped up to her. "Here, I'll hold it for you. As soon as you get through the scan I'll give it right back. Alright?"

She bit her lip before hesitantly handing it over, immediately missing it's presence.

"Um, we have to check it-" The guard shut up at Callen's murderous glare.

"It's a small locket, what do you think she managed to hide in it?"

The guards exchanged a look, deciding not to push things with the clearly pissed off agent. Instead they gestured Callie through the detector, releasing twin sighs of relief when it remained silent.

Callen replaced the locket around his daughter's neck and retrieved her bag, accepting their passes from the security guard. "Thanks again McGee," he said to the other agent as he joined him by the elevator.

"No problem," he replied, glancing at the obviously upset girl. He raised his eyes to the other agent.

"She just lost her mother," Callen told him quietly.

McGee nodded in understanding. The locket must have been a gift, he realized. It also explained why the other agent had brought her with him. He noticed her staring at him.

Seeing him spot her gaze, Callie blushed slightly. "So what do you do Agent McGee?" she asked curiously.

He started to explain about his place on the team and how he specialized in computers.

"Oh, like Eric," she nodded her understanding.

"Well, kind of. Though I am also a field agent." McGee blinked. He'd thought the OSP branch was highly secretive so how did she know?

Callen caught his look. "Long story."

McGee let it drop as they reached their floor.

Callen glanced around, spotting the obvious remodeling going on. Though at least all of the debris had been cleared away. With a grin he spotted his old friend sitting at a desk. "Wait here a minute," he told Callie. McGee paused to wait with her while the two agents had their reunion.

"Hey Jethro, been keeping yourself out of trouble," Callen called as he approached the older agent.

Gibbs' head came up and he grinned at the other man, rising to his feet. "Callen. What brings you here?" He clasped the other man's hand and drew him into a partial hug, slapping his back.

"Director Vance and SecNav wanted a debriefing in person."

Gibbs nodded. "I'd heard about that mess with the Iranians. Still finding trouble I see."

"What can I say? It must be my charming personality. I heard you got Dearing, congratulations."

Gibbs shrugged, studying the other man. "So what's been going on with you? You seem different."

Callen's grin grew wider. "There's someone I want you to meet." He turned and gestured toward the elevators.

Gibbs turned and spotted McGee. Then movement caught his eye and he shifted his gaze lower as a young girl started walking toward them. His eyes widened as he caught the resemblance between her and the younger agent. He took in the fading bruises on her face and the way she leaned into Callen's side as he draped his arm over her shoulder.

"This is an old friend of mine," Callen told her. "Leroy Jethro Gibbs meet Callen Evelyn O'Rourke, my daughter." A proud smile came over his face.

"It's nice to meet you Callen," Gibbs said as he looked down at the girl.

"Callie," she corrected, staring at him curiously.

"Callie," he repeated, a pang going through him at how close to 'Kelly' it sounded. He turned back to Callen. "So when did this happen?"

Callie snorted and the two men looked at her, causing her to blush. "I'm sorry but everyone keeps saying that. It's kind of obvious that it happened years ago. I mean, I wasn't born this size."

"Pretty close though," Callen teased her, receiving a glare in response.

Gibbs chuckled. "Well, it looks like she inherited more than just your looks."

"You didn't know her mother," Callen shot back. "More attitude than height, just like this one." He squeezed Callie's shoulders as she slumped. "It's a compliment Callie. Your mom was an amazing woman."

She gave him a weak smile.

Gibbs glanced between the two, sensing a story. However, he could tell it wasn't good and didn't want to bring it up in front of the girl. He picked up a file from his desk. "Callie, you think you can give this to McGee? Tell him I need him to verify the information and wait for his response."

Callie eyed him suspiciously before nodding.

Once she was gone Gibbs turned to his friend. "You want to explain?"

Callen sighed. "Rule #12? I broke it, 15 years ago. Ended the relationship after she got hurt and the suspect escaped. But Erin never told me she was pregnant. Last week he came back looking for revenge and Erin didn't make it."

Gibbs sighed. "My condolences. And congratulations." He stared at the girl. How would he have handled it if it turned out one of his exes had lied to him, even by omission, about the existence of a child? After losing Kelly, he doubted he'd take it as well as Callen appeared to be. Speaking of. "How are you handling it?"

"Oh, I'm terrified that I'm going to screw this up. But at the same time, I'm happier than I can ever remember being." He turned to face the older man, a serious expression on his face. "You know how hard I've searched for answers, trying to find out my name? The moment she called me Dad for the first time, it suddenly didn't matter. Someone could have shown up the very next moment to tell me everything I've ever wanted to know and it would have meant nothing compared to that one word."

Gibbs closed his eyes, swallowing as memories drifted through his mind. "Yeah," he said gruffly. "That's what it means to be a father."

"Shit! Gibbs I didn't mean to-"

He waved him off. "No, it's okay. Just, take good care of her. You don't know how lucky you are."

Callen shook his head. "Yes, I do. And I intend to." He looked up suddenly, spotting Director Vance at the top of the stairs. "And I think that's my cue." He glanced back at Callie.

Gibbs waved him off. "Go, I'll keep an eye on her. Bring her down to see Abby."

"Thanks." Callie returned with the file at that moment and he turned to her. "I've got to go see the director now, but Gibbs is right here if you need anything. I'll be back soon."

She sighed and nodded, watching as he disappeared up the stairs. After a moment she turned to face Gibbs. "So, I don't suppose there's anything I can do other than sit here and stare at nothing?" she asked him hopefully.


	22. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

Author's Note: And so ends the crossover. I really tried to work Ziva and Tony in here as well but just couldn't make it work. I think this story is finally starting to draw to an end. I think there is only one or two more chapters and maybe an epilogue left. Though I do have some ideas for writing tags to various episodes, such as showing Callie's reactions to the aftermath of the events of those episodes, like Purity.

I know this chapter jumps around a bit timewise, but I'm running out of ideas other than a few key scenes that I really want to include in this fic. It's just getting there that's the problem, hence the time jumps. Please let me know what you think.

* * *

Gibbs blinked at her question. Good point, what was there around here for a teenager to do? "Come on, I'll take you down to meet Abby," he decided.

"Dad mentioned her," Callie said as they headed for the elevator. "Who is she?"

"She's our forensics expert and a friend of mine."

She glanced at him. "So how did you and my dad meet? Work a case together?"

"Something like that," he answered.

She sighed. "I know, I know. No talking about work." She winced as she turned wrong, pulling at one of her still sore muscles.

Gibbs noticed the brief look of pain. "You okay?"

"Still just a little sore. Dad says that's normal, that sometimes it lasts for a couple of weeks after jumping out of the car."

He stared at her. "You jumped out of a moving car?"

She shrugged. "I had to get away from those goons somehow."

He shook his head. "Definitely Callen's daughter."

She smiled slightly, feeling pleased at his declaration. The elevator doors opened and they exited to be met by blaring music. Callie blinked, not having expected that.

Gibbs led her into the lab. "Abby!" he yelled.

"Oh, Gibbs!" She shut off the music. "Wasn't expecting you. Do we have a case?" Her eyes landed on Callie. "Who's this?" She frowned, there was something familiar about the girl. "Do I know you?"

Callie stared at her. The goth was definitely not what she was expecting. "Er, hi." She had to smile at the goth's energetic and somewhat bubbly demeanor.

Gibbs smirked. "This is Callen." He got a look from the girl and winked at her.

Abby frowned at the name. "Callen, as in G. Callen?" She could see the resemblance to the agent who had saved her life. "But this can't be G. Callen. He's a grown man, this is a young girl." Her eyes widened. "Unless he somehow got transformed! What was it? Radiation? Zapped by some weird machine? And you came to me to fix it." She was practically bouncing.

Callie couldn't help but giggle. She definitely liked the happy goth. "I'm Callie, G. Callen's my dad."

"Of course he is, cause the other thing only happens in movies and comics," Abby said, still bouncing. "Wait, your dad? Oh, it's so great to meet you." She pulled the startled girl into a hug. "Is he here? Where? I can't wait to see him, he saved my life."

Callie blinked at the small case of hero worship she could hear in the woman's voice. "Saved your life?"

"Oh yeah. There was this whole thing with a serial killer that no one believed existed cause he left no evidence. But the lack of evidence was the evidence, and he kidnapped me and your dad burst through the skylight and shot him before he could shoot me."

She blinked again at the rambling answer. "You drink a lot of coffee, don't you?"

"Nah, gotta have my Caff-Pow though." She held up the large cup.

Gibbs chuckled at them. "Abby, why don't you show Callie around. I'll be up in the bullpen when you're done." He walked away as Abby started to enthusiastically show off each piece of equipment while peppering the girl with questions.

* * *

"Director Vance," Callen greeted as he reached the other man.

"Agent Callen. I hear congratulations are in order." The other man glanced down toward the bullpen.

"Thank you sir."

"Well I'm sure you have something else you'd much rather be doing so let's get this meeting started." He turned and led the agent into his office where the SecNav and Granger were already waiting. Greetings were exchanged as they all sat down. "Now, we've already heard the report from Assistant Director Granger here, as well as read the written reports. But I'd like to hear your thoughts on Janvier. What was his motivation? Can we expect him to have had any other surprises planned? And most importantly, just how far does his knowledge of our files and personnel go?"

Callen stifled the urge to sigh, this was going to be a long meeting.

He did sigh as the debriefing finally came to a close. Seriously, this couldn't have been done over the phone or a video conference? Glancing at his watch as he exited the director's office he shook his head. Nearly four hours.

"Agent Callen."

He turned to face Director Vance as he followed him out the door.

"I'm sorry to have dragged you down here for this but you know how it is." He glanced back into the room. "But you are now officially on vacation. Go spend time with your daughter." He held out his hand.

"Thank you sir," Callen said, taking it. "I intend to." He headed downstairs. Glancing around, he spotted several agents sitting at their desks but not Gibbs or his daughter.

"G. Callen!" A voice rang through the air right before a body impacted with his. He stumbled back a step, somehow managing to stay upright.

"Abby Sciuto," he returned, grinning down at the woman.

"Oh, it's so great to see you again! And you have an awesome daughter!"

At her words he looked over her shoulder to see Callie standing there, laughing at him. "Good to see you too Abby Sciuto. And I know." The goth released him and he wrapped an arm around Callie as she came to stand at his side.

"Your meeting's done?"

"Yep, and I'm officially on vacation. Which means I'm all yours, no more getting called into work."

She beamed at him.

He looked up as Gibbs approached. "Well, we never made it to that bar. Maybe next time."

"Next time," Gibbs agreed. "You've got more important things to do at the moment." He clapped the younger man on his back. "Take care of yourself. You've got more than just yourself to worry about now."

"I know. And you too Jethro."

Gibbs turned to the girl. "It was nice meeting you Callie. Try to keep this guy out of trouble."

She grinned at him. "I'll try but you're asking a lot." They laughed. "It was nice to meet you too. And you as well Abby, thanks for showing me around."

"Oh, no problem. And don't forget to email me, I want to hear how everything is going. And it was great seeing you again G. Callen."

"Great to see you too, Abby Sciuto."

With a couple of last goodbyes, he led his daughter to the elevator. "Now that I'm done here, let's go grab some lunch. Did you decide where you want to go first?" He listened to her eagerly explain where she wanted to visit and smiled.

* * *

A week later Callen unlocked the door to his house and opened it, his eyes carefully checking for anything out of place as Callie followed behind him. Nothing appeared to be disturbed and he relaxed. "It's good to be home."

Callie yawned slightly and nodded. "But I had a lot of fun. Thanks for bringing me with you."

"Are you kidding? There's no one else I'd rather have spent the time with." He drew her close and kissed the top of her head. "Now, you should head to bed. It's late."

She looked like she was about to argue, then another yawn escaped her. "Good night Dad," she said instead, heading for her room.

He started to head to his own room but paused and headed to the kitchen instead. He checked the fridge and shook his head. Taking out his phone, he made an appointment for groceries. It wouldn't do to forget, again.

With that taken care of, he headed for his own room and settled down in his bedroll. For once sleep found him easily.

Too bad it didn't last long. Less than three hours later he was wide awake and staring at the ceiling. Giving it up as a lost cause, he got up and exited the room. He paused and poked his head into Callie's room, taking a few minutes to watch her sleep. A smile formed on his face and he slipped back out before he could disturb her.

Entering the kitchen, he started to poke at the toaster but found he just wasn't in the mood to take it apart. Instead, he retrieved his language tapes and started to practice his Russian, losing himself in the familiar intricacies of the language. He was so into his practice that when the tape asked about the weather he was startled when another voice answered it.

"The weather is very nice today," Callie's voice answered.

Callen turned to face her, surprised that he hadn't heard her approach. He shut off the tape. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

She shook her head as she started poking around in the cupboards. "No. I just couldn't sleep anymore. Been doing too much of that lately."

He eyed her as she continued her search. "Your body obviously needed the rest. Why don't you go back to sleep?"

"I told you, I'm not tired." She let the cupboards close, obviously not finding what she was looking for. "We need to go shopping."

"First thing tomorrow. I've even got a reminder programmed in. What were you looking for?"

"Hot cocoa mix. You obviously couldn't sleep either," she told him as she glanced at the language tapes. "Hot cocoa always helps me fall asleep. Figured it might help you too."

He raised an eyebrow. "You have trouble sleeping a lot?"

She shrugged. "Sometimes. Mom said I used to keep her up all night when I was younger."

"Huh." He'd always assumed his insomnia was a result of his childhood and the things he'd seen and done as an adult. But if what Callie was saying was true then perhaps it was actually genetic. He wondered if either of his parents suffered the same. "And hot cocoa helps?" He'd never tried that before.

"Well that and the company." She shrugged again at his look. "I'd try not wake Mom up but I didn't succeed that often. So we'd drink hot cocoa and talk until I felt I could sleep again."

"Well, then remind me to pick it up later today." He studied her for a moment. "You feel up to going back to bed?"

"Not really." A grin came over her face and she said, "But we can practice our Russian together."

He smiled back and replied. "But only if you let me know the instant you feel tired."

She rolled her eyes but agreed and they spent the rest of the night conversing in Russian, getting to know each other a little better.

The next morning, true to Callen's word, they headed out to do grocery shopping. "So is there anything in particular you want to buy?" he asked her as he added a couple of steaks to the cart.

"We should probably get some cereal."

He turned down that particular aisle. "What kind?"

She glanced at the shelves and made her selection. A short time later, they had picked up all of the essentials, as well as some non-essentials as Callen hadn't been able to resist the bag of Tootsie-Pops, they headed for the check out.

Callie's eyes widened. "Oh, we almost forgot the hot cocoa. I'll get it while you get on line." She darted back down the aisle before he could stop her.

Callen glanced worriedly after her before shaking his head. What kind of trouble would she get into in a grocery store? He started to place his items on the belt.

Callie knelt down beside a coffee display to grab the large package of cocoa mix from the bottom shelf. It was all the way in the back and she had to stretch to reach it. As her fingers finally wrapped around it, her ears picked up voices nearby, speaking in Russian. Thanks to the late night practice being fresh in her mind, she didn't even have to think about it for the words to make sense. Her eyes widened as she heard the conversation.

"There he is."

"Where did the girl go?"

"I don't know but she must be somewhere nearby. Why is the boss interested in them?"

"He didn't say. And it's not for us to question his orders."

Callie carefully poked her head around the stack of coffee, taking in the sight of the two men standing near the front of the aisle. They were looking in the direction she had left her father. One turned slightly, his jacket opening and she glimpsed a gun tucked into his belt. She swallowed nervously. What was she supposed to do? She had to warn her father, but they'd see her if she moved. Wait, why was she worried about that? They had no way of knowing that she spoke Russian.

So with the package of cocoa in her hands, she rose and started toward the front of the aisle, purposefully keeping her eyes on the cocoa as if checking it was the correct brand. "Oh!" she said as she bumped into one of the men. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there." She kept a wide-eyed look on her face as she apologized.

"Is no problem," the man she bumped into said in heavily accented English. "Just watch where you are going next time."

"I will," she promised before heading toward her father.

"Took you long enough. I though you'd gotten lost," he said as she joined him and placed the cocoa mix on the belt. "What's wrong?" he asked as he saw her face.

"I just couldn't reach it is all," she said in a slightly raised voice. She glanced at the cashier, checking that he was fully concentrating on their order before continuing much quieter. "Two men, at least one is armed, watching us and speaking Russian."

Callen's eyes narrowed before he forced his face to relax. "Where?" He made a show of checking over the order.

"Near the front of aisle 6, unless they've moved."

"Looks like we forgot the ketchup," he said as he turned to glance toward aisle 5 as if gauging to see if he had time to run and get it, his gaze sweeping over aisle 6 in the process. "We still have some left, so it can wait until the next trip." He silently cursed himself for dropping his guard. How had he missed them following him? He should have been alert for any threats, especially since they didn't know if Janvier left any other surprises for them.

"Okay," Callie agreed. "They still there?"

"Yep." He paid for the groceries and started heading outside. "Follow my lead and do exactly as I tell you."

She swallowed nervously and nodded.

Callen caught a reflection in a nearby car window, they were being followed. He took one hand off of the cart and made a show of searching his pockets. "Where are the car keys? Here, push the cart for a minute." She took hold of the cart just as they were passing between two parked cars, freeing him to pull his weapon from his holster, out of sight. "Got them," he said, making a show of holding up the keys. "Now, where did we park again?"

"You getting forgetful in your old age?"

If the situation wasn't so serious he would have grinned. His daughter was a natural. "Keep it up with the age cracks and we'll see how long it is before you're allowed out of the house." His eyes darted around the parking lot but it was devoid of others except for them and the two following them. "Get ready. When I say, I want you to duck behind a car and stay down."

She nodded slightly. "What's the matter, you can't take a joke?"

"It has to be funny to qualify as a joke," he said, reaching out to take hold of the cart again. He started to turn as if he was going into the next row of cars. "Now!" Callie quickly ducked as he shoved the cart at the men following them and took cover, his gun aimed at the two.

The men were taken by surprise and one went down under the cart. The other reached for his waistband and the gun there but stopped at the sight of Callen's gun aimed at him.

"Who are you? Why are you following us?" Callen asked as he quickly relieved them of their weapons.

They stubbornly kept their mouths shut.

He tried again in Russian and they still refused to speak. He pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of them. Keeping them covered, he called Ops. "Eric, I'm sending you a couple of photos. I need the men identified, immediately." He sent the pictures.

"_Got 'em. Running through the databases now. What's going on?"_

"Went to the store for groceries and had a little company. They're not talking, though they were speaking in Russian earlier."

"_Mr. Callen, I am sending Sam to your location," _Hetty's voice came over the line. _"Are you alright?"_

"Fine Hetty." One of the men started to move, obviously believing him to be distracted by the phone. "I wouldn't unless you want to have more holes than swiss cheese," he told him. "I've got to go Hetty." He hung up the phone and glared at them. "You will tell me who sent you or I will make the rest of your very short lives a living hell."

Callie shivered at his words and the rage in his voice. "D-dad?"

Callen's eyes widened. He'd forgotten she was listening. "Stay there. Don't move." He glared at the men, a slight frown forming as he really looked at them. The one on the right looked vaguely familiar. "You will tell me what I want to know otherwise I will be forced to shoot you in front of the girl. And that will really piss me off. You won't like what happens then." He only hoped Callie would forgive him for scaring her like this.

A familiar engine roared as tires squealed nearby. "G!"

"Over here Sam," he answered. "So what's it going to be?" he asked as his partner joined him.

The men exchanged a look. "The boss only said observe. He didn't say why. We weren't going to do anything. Only follow."

"And who's your boss?" Sam demanded.

But Callen had finally placed where he recognized the one man from. "Arkady. You were sent by Arkady Kolcheck."


	23. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

* * *

"Why would Arkady send men after you?" Sam asked.

"He's done it before. Remember Niko?" Callen pulled out some zip ties and started cuffing the men. "Have someone pick them up and hold them. It looks like I've got to have a chat with my old friend."

"Your chat will have to wait. You've got more important things to worry about."

"Like what?"

Instead of replying, Sam just glanced over Callen's shoulder.

He turned and sighed as he spotted the teenager nervously glancing at him over the hood of a nearby car. "Callie?" She rose to her feet but didn't move. "It's okay," he said as he started toward her.

Callie bit her lip as she glanced from him to the two bound men. She was still shaken by the anger she had heard in his voice, the threats he had made. He had sounded like he'd really do it, shoot them where they stood. But wasn't that part of his job? And he'd shot Connors, killing him, as well as some of his men. She suddenly wasn't sure just who her father really was. So deep in her thoughts, she didn't notice that he was now right in front of her and flinched as he placed his hand on her arm.

Callen winced at her flinch, his heart breaking at the uncertain look she was directing at him. "Oh God, Callie, I am so sorry for scaring you like that. I wish you'd never seen or heard any of that." He pulled her against his chest, holding her stiff body against his own.

"W-would you have done it? S-shot t-them?" she stuttered out.

"If I'd had to," he admitted. "They had weapons, if they'd drawn them I would have done what I needed to in order to protect you."

She lifted her head to look at him. "S-so you wouldn't have shot him if he didn't start talking?"

"No, I was just trying to scare them, get them to talk," he told her. He sighed in relief as she relaxed in his hold. "Come on, I'll have Sam bring you home."

"What? Why?" She frowned up at him. "Where are you going?"

"There's someone I've got to go talk to." He turned to look at his partner.

Sam shook his head before he could say anything. "Forget it G, we've talked about this Lone Wolf thing of yours. I'm not letting you go off alone."

Callen opened his mouth to argue with him but Callie beat him to it. "You told me you have a partner and a team to watch your back. But how are they going to do that if you go off alone?" she stared up at him pleadingly.

He sighed, unable to ignore her pleading expression or the fear still lurking in her eyes. "Alright."

Sam smirked at him. "I could get used to this. Least now I have someone to call and talk some sense into your foolish head when you get it in your head to go off by yourself."

The arrival of Kensi and Deeks halted any comeback Callen would have made. "Everything alright?" Kensi asked as they joined them, a couple of cops taking custody of the two bound men.

"Fine. They were sent by Arkady. Sam and I were just going to go pay him a visit, that is if you can watch Callie?"

The girl in question frowned. "I don't need a babysitter, I'm 14 not 4."

Callen turned to her. "I know but I want someone with you just in case, at least until I find out what Arkady wants."

Her eyes widened. "Y-you think he'll send someone else?" She glanced around.

"No, but I'd rather not take that chance. This is just how Arkady operates, how he gets my attention. I'm sure that you're in no danger." He glanced at the two younger agents and they nodded.

"Hey Callie," Deeks said as he stepped up beside her. "So, been doing some grocery shopping huh? Anything good?" He started poking through the bags on the ground. Miraculously it seemed like nothing had broken. "What, no ice cream?"

Callie let herself be distracted by his actions, giggling at his antics.

Kensi met Callen's gaze. "We'll take good care of her." He nodded and she joined her partner. "Well we'd better get these back to your house before anything spoils." She grabbed a couple of bags and headed to her car.

Deeks winked at the girl. "Hope you don't have any chocolate in any of those bags or it'll be long gone by the time we get back to your house."

Callen watched as the three placed all of the groceries in the car before climbing in themselves. He lifted his hand and smiled as Callie turned to look at him before the car pulled out. Then his face became serious as he turned to his partner.

"How do you want to play this?" Sam asked as led Callen to the Challenger. Easier to take one car, they'd come back for Callen's later.

"He sent men to follow me and my daughter, he put her in danger. How do you think I want to handle this?"

Sam's eyebrows shot up slightly at the anger evident in his partner's voice. "The direct approach it is."

They pulled up to the house and got out, heading for the door. It was opened by one of Arkady's men before they reached it. "Mr. Kolcheck-" he started to say only to be grabbed and slammed up against the wall by Callen, Sam covering his back with his gun drawn.

"Where is Arkady?"

The man gestured toward the back. Callen quickly patted him down and removed his weapon before shoving him ahead of them. "Move." The man quickly led them to the back patio where they found Arkady eating a meal.

"Ah, my old friend. I have been expecting you," Arkady said as he rose to his feet. Gesturing to his employee being held at gun point. "You could have just knocked on the door."

Callen shoved the man aside as he strode up to Arkady and got in his face. "You sent men to follow me. Why?!"

Several of Arkady's men started to move at his actions but the older man waved them off. "It's okay, he's old friend," he told them. "Leave us." They did so. "Can I offer you something to eat? Drink?" He gestured to the loaded table as he sat back down.

Callen glared at him, placing his hands on the table to lean over him. "I asked you a question, I'm waiting for an answer. And if I don't like it you might end up regretting sending them away."

Arkady waved him off and took a sip of his drink. "I like to keep an ear out for news about certain people. I'd heard rumors, wanted to see if they were true."

"What rumors?" Callen bit out.

"That you have been seen with a young girl and that there was quite the resemblance." Arkady's grinned widely at the look that came over the agent's face. "Then it is true. Congratulations my old friend. When do I get to meet the little one?"

Callen grabbed him by his shirt. "Stay away from her. And don't send anyone to follow me unless you want them shot. And if you send men near my daughter, I will come here to shoot you after I've dealt with them."

"Easy, easy," Arkady waved his hands to calm him. "It was not a threat. I am very sincere in my happiness for you. You need someone in your life. And I didn't send them to your house," he pointed out, recalling the previous statement about sending men to his house.

Callen released him and turned to walk away.

"Wait. Here," Arkady tossed something to him and he caught it. "A gift, for the girl."

Callen studied the object. It was a Matryoshka doll, one of those carved wooden dolls that opened up to reveal a smaller doll inside, and so on. He remembered Alina having a set as a child. He raised an eyebrow at Arkady.

"What? All little girls love dolls," the other man said. "Children are an important legacy. I envy you the chance to be a father, a chance I have never received."

"Maybe if your wives didn't keep mysteriously dying that wouldn't be the case," Callen told him.

Arkady shrugged. "Yes, so unfortunate I am. Let me know if you or the girl need anything, I am always happy to help old friends. And maybe now that you have a child to think of you will decide on a different career choice? I pay very well if you find you would rather work in the private sector, and I am always looking for those with special skills." He glanced at Sam. "The same offer is of course extended to your partner, I have seen how great you are together."

Sam and Callen exchanged a look before simultaneously snorting and shaking their heads. "I'll keep that in mind," Callen said as they turned and left.

"All of that just for a job offer?" Sam asked skeptically as they got in the car.

"No, he was looking for confirmation about Callie. He loves information."

"Yeah, and what's he going to do with that information?"

"Nothing, unless he wants me to kill him. No, he was just letting me know that he knew." He took out his phone to call Hetty, explaining the situation and giving the all clear. "Come on, I want to go home and check on Callie. I really scared her earlier."

"She's a kid, they're resilient. Besides, it sounded like she understood earlier," Sam told him.

"Yeah." He sighed. "Just wish she didn't have to."

"It's the world we live in. I'd feel the same way if it had been my kids. Probably would have done a lot worse than threaten those guys."

"Thanks."

They stopped at the supermarket so Callen retrieved his car. "Thanks again Sam. But I'll be fine. Go home, spend some time with Michelle and the kids."

He nodded. "Just call if you need me G, I've got your back. Now get home before that girl of yours worries herself to death about what's keeping you." He clapped him on the back before driving away.

Callen shook his head and climbed into his own car, heading home. Pulling into the driveway, he spotted Deeks peering through the blinds and nodded to him as he got out. He'd barely walked in the door when a blur threw itself at him. His arms automatically wrapped around Callie as she clung to him, steadying her.

"You're back!" She pulled back slightly, her eyes sweeping over him. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm fine. Like I said, that's just the way Arkady is. He's an old friend with a strange sense of humor. He thinks sending people to watch me counts as a good way to invite me over to talk."

Callie frowned at him. "What did he want?"

Callen met Kensi and Deeks' eyes before responding. "Oh, he'd heard about you and wanted to congratulate me. He sent this for you." He handed her the doll.

She took it, studying it. "A Matryoshka doll?" At his look she explained, "Mrs. Guseva had a few. This one's actually pretty nice but it looks expensive."

"Knowing Arkady it probably is."

Her eyes widened and she started to hand it back. "I can't accept it."

"Relax. He can afford it and it's part of the game we play. Why don't you go put it in your room?" He'd taken the chance to examine it in the car. It was just the set of dolls, not that he really expected Arkady to have tried anything.

Callie glanced at him before doing what he suggested.

He turned to the others. "Thanks again. I really appreciate it."

"No problem, she's a great kid," Deeks told him.

"We're here for you, anything you need," Kensi added before they left.

He sighed as he entered the kitchen and looked in the fridge. At least now he had food in it. Pulling out some deli meat, he grabbed the bread and started to make a couple of sandwiches. He handed one to Callie as she entered the kitchen. "Here, I figured you might be hungry." He took a bite of his own sandwich.

"Thanks," she said as she took it. But she simply held it before looking at him. "Dad?" He turned to look at her. "What happened today, does that happen a lot?"

He put his sandwich aside. "Being followed? Not really. It's very rare that people know who I am, let alone how to find me. But it has happened a few times." He watched as she bit her lip. "Hey, you did very well today. You spotted them and didn't let on that you knew they were there, you stayed calm and most important of all you did what I told you to. I wouldn't have let anything happen to you."

She smiled slightly at his words. "Thanks but I was so scared even though I knew you wouldn't let anything happen."

He pulled her into a hug. "I know and I'm sorry about that."

"Do you think, I mean, is it possible," she stumbled over her words, obviously unsure.

"What's wrong? You know you can ask me anything and I'll answer the best that I can."

"It's just, when they were following us, it felt like when Connors grabbed me and Mom, and then when he had us in that factory. I just felt so useless and afraid." She looked up at him. "Do you think you can teach me some stuff so I don't feel that way again? I mean, what would I have done if you hadn't been there and those men were trying to grab me?"

Callen didn't even want to think of her being put in such a situation but he knew it was a possibility. One that he would do his best to keep from ever happening. But he pushed those thoughts away to answer her question. He kissed the top of her head. "If you want then yes, there are a few things I can teach you to defend yourself. Things to help you get away until you can get help."

"Thanks Dad." She squeezed him before stepping away and picking up her sandwich.

"Anything you need, I'm here for you." He gave her a smile before resuming eating his own sandwich, knowing that they would be okay.


	24. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

Author's Note: I have nothing against private schools or those attend them. I just needed Callie to be against them. Oh, and I don't have any real knowledge of how the school system works in California. Where I grew up we went to the high school of the town we lived in and I know in NYC that you apply for different high schools like you do with colleges. So I decided that if there were a couple of different high schools near where you lived you could pick which one you wanted to attend, pending approval that is.

* * *

"No, you've got to hit harder than that. Like you're trying to hurt me."

"But I don't want to hurt you."

Sam blinked as he heard Callen and Callie's voices coming from the gym. What were they doing here, and on a Saturday? He was only here because he'd left something in his locker. He stepped inside the doorway to see the two on the mat.

"Try again," Callen said to the girl as he made a move to grab her.

Sam watched as she half-heartedly dodged and threw a punch. Callen let it hit him before he continued forward and grabbed her around the waist, turning her around so that her back pressed against his chest.

"See? A punch like that's not going to stop anyone. You have to put your full body weight into it."

"What's going on?" Sam asked, stepping fully into the room.

"Hey Sam," Callen greeted. "Callie asked me to show her some moves so that if she's ever in a situation like with Connors or Arkady's men, she can fight them off long enough to get away."

"Sounds like a good idea. What's the problem?" He glanced at the girl who was studying her feet.

"She doesn't want to use it against me, and if she doesn't practice on someone then she won't be able to use it if a situation does come up." Callen sighed.

Sam shrugged. "How about I take a turn against her?"

Callie's eyes widened as she looked up at him. "What? But you're huge! You'd squash me like a bug!"

"Most of the people you'd find yourself up against will be significantly bigger than you," he pointed out. "And I know how to pull my punches, I'm not going to hurt you."

Callen felt the need to step in at that point. "Now when you say you're going to pull your punches, do you mean the same way you pull them with me?" He gave his partner a look that said the answer had better not be yes.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Do you really think I'd do anything that would hurt her?"

No, he didn't. "It's okay Callie," Callen told her. "Sam's just going to provide you with a simulation of a possible situation. And you don't have to worry about hurting him, the big guy can definitely take a punch."

"Alright," she finally said though she still looked doubtful.

"Okay," Sam said as he stepped onto the mat, facing her. "If you're faced with your attacker he's going to come at you like this." He started to lunge for her and she backed away. "That's good, you want to keep some distance between you. But if for some reason you can't, if he corners you, you'll have to fight back." He gestured for her to do something.

Callie looked at him. What was she supposed to do against someone his size? She finally settled on the one thing she knew worked against any guy.

Sam shook his head as he blocked kick, grabbing her leg and pulling her close. "Not really a bad idea, if it connects it will definitely give you time to get away. But if the guy's had any training he'll be expecting that and will use it as a chance to grab you."

Callen nodded from the sidelines. "Instead you should aim for the knee or the ankle. Your attacker will think you're going for the groin and will actually make it easier by moving his leg into a good position. Strike with enough force and he'll fall to the ground and be in no condition to chase you."

Sam let her try the move out. "Better," he said as he let it connect. "But you'll really have to put more of your weight behind it in a real situation." He could tell though that she was putting more force behind it than she had with Callen. He gestured for her to step back and came up behind her.

"Another situation you'll find yourself in is where you are grabbed from behind," Callen told her as Sam proceeded to do just that. "Now I know all of the movies show the victim being able to grab their attacker's arm and toss them over their shoulder but it's not really an option with you."

Callie shook her head as she felt the way Sam was positioned behind her. "Yeah, I try that and I'll end up on the ground with Sam on top of me. If I can even budge him, that is."

"Instead, you want to elbow me, get me to release you. Preferably knock the wind out of me so I'm in no position to chase after you," Sam told her as he held her.

Callie nodded her understanding. Sam pulled her closer to simulate the situation and she dragged her arm across her body, her elbow lashing out at him. Her eyes widened as she felt her elbow connect with something right before Sam released her. "I did it!"

Callen winced as he watched the blow connect. Sam had underestimated the height difference and hadn't crouched low enough when he'd grabbed her. Consequently the blow had landed significantly lower than the stomach Callie had been aiming for. "That you did. You okay big guy?"

Sam groaned, waving him off as he knelt on the floor.

Callie turned to look at him, eyes wide. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!"

"D-don't worry about it Callie. You did good, that's exactly the sort of thing you want to happen in a real situation. The bad guy's on the ground and you're able to run away." Sam waved off her concern as he slowly rose to his feet.

"Exactly right Mr. Hanna. That was a very nicely executed move dear," Hetty said, startling them. She looked at the large agent. "Perhaps you should work on not underestimating your opponents," she told him.

"I'll keep that in mind," he told her.

"So what brought this about?" Hetty asked.

"Callie was a bit worried about finding herself in another situation and being unable to defend herself. So we're showing her a few moves. Only for defense of course," Callen told her.

"Of course," Hetty agreed before glancing at the girl who was only a couple of inches taller than her. "Come with me my dear. There's a few tricks I can show you to use against much larger opponents."

Callen and Sam watched the two walk away, before sharing a look. "If Hetty's showing her some moves then I'm done being the test dummy," Sam told his partner.

"I'm not doing it either," Callen agreed. They shared another look, then simultaneously said, "Deeks." Callen smirked at his partner. "He can be her new punching bag for whatever Hetty shows her."

"Almost makes me feel sorry for anyone stupid enough to come after her now."

Callen gave him a look. "They come after my daughter and they deserve whatever they get."

Sam held up his hands. "Easy G, I did say **almost**."

They found Hetty and Callie in the former's office, just in time to see Hetty hand the wide-eyed girl something. "Now remember," the older woman was saying, "this is only for emergencies, situations where you feel you are at great risk. If I discover you using this for no reason or against your fellow classmates you **will** regret it."

Callie nodded her head frantically, assuring the woman she understood.

"Good. Gentlemen," Hetty turned to the two agents. "It's actually rather fortunate that you are here. It saves me some time. The investigation has turned up no sign that any of you have been compromised. Our analysts have worked long and hard going through your files and tracking the movements of those parties involved. There has been nothing to indicate that Janvier contacted them. So your statuses are operational again. Once your vacation is over, that is. I think another two weeks should be long enough to take care of everything."

Callen frowned. "Two weeks?"

She looked at him. "Gives you enough time to get everything in order. Rather fitting that you return to work at the same time that your daughter returns to school, don't you think?"

His eyes widened as he glanced at Callie. He hadn't even considered that school would be starting again soon. He still had to make arrangements, get her enrolled. Looks like he had calls to make. "Well, guess we'd better get going."

Callie nodded. "Thank you again Hetty. And you too Sam. And I'm really sorry about, you know."

"Don't worry about it. Just remember only use it on the bad guys."

She smiled at him, then followed her father out the door.

Sam turned to look at Hetty. "So what did you teach her anyway?"

Hetty gave him an enigmatic look. "Wouldn't you like to know." She sat down at her desk. "Don't you have somewhere else to be? Go! I don't want to see you or your partner back here until your vacation is over!"

* * *

"You forgot about school, didn't you?" Callie asked as they got in the car.

"Yeah," he admitted. "But to be fair, I'm still new to this. What was the name of your old school? I'm going to have to contact them for your transcripts then contact the nearby high school, once I know which one it is."

She gave him a look as she told him. "But you know it's a Saturday. You won't reach anyone until at least Monday."

He shrugged. "Gives us some time to research options. Maybe a private school would be better."

"Dad, I don't need a private school. I've gone to public school all of my life. And I am not going to wear a uniform."

"I'm just saying, maybe we should consider all of our options. An all girls school wouldn't hurt."

Her jaw dropped as she stared at him. "Seriously?! You want to send me to one of **those** schools? Do you know what type of girls go there? The ultra rich, ultra snobby, look down on anyone who doesn't fit their world view type of girls. Forget it."

"Wow, really dislike that option huh?" She glared at him. "Okay, okay. Public school it is."

"And I want a say in which school since I'm going to be the one stuck attending for the next four years."

Once they arrived home, he pulled out his tablet computer and looked up the information on their school zone, finding out which of the local high schools they were zoned for. Then he researched their reputations, which were safest, which had the better teachers or courses offered.

Callie sat, using her own computer to surf the web, occasionally glancing at her father and rolling her eyes at his actions.

Finally, Callen decided on which school he thought was the best option and informed Callie. She quickly pulled up the school's website and looked through the page. "Okay," she said after a few minutes.

He raised an eyebrow. "Not going to fight me on this?"

"Nah, I like their literature and language programs."

"Of course."

Once Monday came around he started making calls, first to Callie's old school, then to that district's head office. He sighed as he got off the phone with them. "Looks like we have to go in in person."

"Why?"

"They want proof that I'm who I say I am."

She shrugged and got ready.

Once they got there it went smoothly. Callen explained the situation and showed his custody papers. They had him sign a few papers and handed over Callie's transcripts.

Upon leaving, Callen contacted the high school they had decided on. The principal was understanding and agreed to meet with them right away, so they headed straight there. Again things went smoothly and Callie was quickly enrolled.

Returning home, Callen sighed. "We have to talk. There are some ground rules that we have to go over."

She tilted her head at him. "Like what?"

"You know how important my work is, how secretive. You can't tell anyone what I do or even that I'm a federal agent."

"I kind of figured that."

"You also can't tell anyone where we live, can't have friends over. I'm sorry but it's really not safe."

She shrugged. "Well there's also the fact that they'd have nowhere to sit," she pointed out. That rule wasn't really a big deal to her. She'd never really been all that popular anyway so her having friends over was few and far in between.

Callen blinked, having expected some resistance to that one. "I will drive you to school, and providing I don't get stuck on a case, I will pick you up. If for whatever reason I can't or I agree that you can go somewhere after school, you are to tell me where you are going to be and when you will be home. You are not to go anywhere without telling me first."

"Dad! I'm not a little kid! I can get home on my own. And seriously? Informing you of where I am at all times?"

"I'll agree to letting you get home by yourself," he said after a minute. He'd probably get stuck at work more often than not anyway. "But the keeping me informed is non-negotiable. And if for whatever reason you can't contact me you will contact someone else on the team or Hetty. How else am I going to keep you safe if I don't know where you are?"

Callie's eyes softened. "Fine. But that's it." She peered at him suspiciously. "No following me or running background checks on anyone."

"Would I do that?"

She gave him a look, not buying his innocent act for a second.

"Alright, fine." At least until she decided to start dating. Which wouldn't be for a good, long time if he had anything to say about it.


	25. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.

Author Note: And we've reached the end. This is the epilogue and starts around the same time as the Season 4 episode Recruit. Also, according to the NCIS:LA wikia, Hetty's birthday is in January. But the second season episode Special Delivery where Nell was introduced showed that not to be correct, as that episode took place before the Christmas one. So I'm going with the idea of her birthday actually being in October.

* * *

"You've got everything? Your notebooks, pens, paper?"

"Yes."

"Cellphone?"

"Right here. With your number and the rest of the team's set on speed dial."

"You're going straight home after school?"

"Yes, and if that changes for some reason I will call you."

"You remember what we discussed about varying your route, making sure no one is following you?"

"Yes! Dad, we've been going over this every day for two weeks. I've got it, I promise. It's just high school, it's not like I'm heading into a gunfight or anything."

Callen glowered at the thought. "Don't be so sure." He'd seen the statistics on school shootings in recent years.

"Dad, I'll be fine, I promise. I'll call you if anything happens. Besides, I'm sure you've already asked Eric and/or Nell to monitor various sources for mention of the school."

He carefully kept his face from reacting to her words. She really did know him too well, he realized. "I'm just worried."

"I know Dad," Callie told him with a sigh. "I know you're new to this. But I have done this before. Not in this school but still. I'll be fine." She leaned over and hugged him. "I'll see you later, have a good time at work. You be careful and stay safe." She opened the door and got out.

Callen watched her enter the school. He remained there, staring at the entrance for a few more moments before he sighed and pulled away. Time to get back to work. After one more stop. He visited Amy's grave and had a talk with Hetty, then headed for the office.

He entered the building and greeted Kensi, receiving a comment on his tan. They just barely missed being hit by Sam's chair. Yes, it was good to be back.

Later as they were preparing to travel to Dubai he called Callie. "How did everything go at school?"

"_It was fine. No problems."_

"Sorry I couldn't be there when you got home."

"_It's fine, I figured something came up at work. Are you going to be home soon?"_

He winced. "Yeah, about that." He explained without giving any details that he had to go away but he'd be back soon. "Hopefully only a couple of days. In case of anything, call Hetty." At least she was old enough and responsible enough that he could leave her alone for a couple of days. He'd consider this the test, if she failed then next time something came up she'd be staying at Sam's house with Michelle.

"_Okay. We knew there was a possibility that something like this could happen. You did mention it,"_ she pointed out.

Yeah, but he hadn't been expecting it to happen so soon. "I'll talk to you again soon. I love you."

"_Love you too Dad."_

He was thankful when the plan went off with only a small hitch and they were able to save John Harris, rescue the other two Americans, and stop the terrorists. He was glad to be on a plane and headed home. He managed to sleep a little on the plane and once they landed he quickly headed home.

He found Callie asleep in her bed, a book lying open on her chest. He carefully removed it but she stirred anyway. "Dad," she asked sleepily.

"Hey," he said, brushing the hair out of her face. "I missed you." He placed a kiss to her forehead. "Go back to sleep."

"Missed you too," she mumbled before sleep claimed her once more.

He smiled, glad to be home.

* * *

Days passed, becoming weeks and they settled into their new routine of sorts. Sometimes cases came up necessitating Callen staying out all night but nothing that brought him out of the country again.

As he was dropping Callie off at school she handed him a package. "Can you give that to Hetty for me?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "How did you know it was her birthday?"

"I might have asked Marty," she said.

He looked at the thin package. "What is it?"

She shook her head. "Uh-uh, not ruining the surprise. And no peeking."

"Fine."

"Thanks Dad."

He glanced at it as he drove, curious what it could be. It didn't weigh much, and when would Callie have had time to purchase anything?

"What's that?" Sam asked as he walked in.

"Present for Hetty."

Deeks came over at his words. "What'd you get her?"

"Not me, Callie. And I don't know." He headed for where he could see her at her desk. The rest of the team exchanged looks before moving closer to observe.

"Mr. Callen, what can I do for you today?"

"Callie asked me to give this to you." At her raised eyebrow he continued, "No, I didn't tell her it was your birthday."

Hetty took the package and looked at it curiously before opening it. A shocked look came over her face as she stared at it, a single tear slipping down one cheek.

Callen was stunned at the show of emotion. "Hetty?"

She cleared her throat. "You have a very remarkable daughter Mr. Callen. Please thank her for me." She lifted a double picture frame out of the box and showed it to him.

One side contained a picture of the whole team and Callie, surprising him since they'd never posed for it. She must have photo shopped them into it, he decided, remembering seeing her with a camera a few times recently. It was a very good job too. He and Sam stood beside each other, Kensi on his other side with Deeks next to her. On Sam's other side stood Eric, with Nell in front of him. Directly in front of him and Sam was Callie, his hand on her shoulder. Hetty stood beside Callie. He glanced at the other half of the frame and realized what had shaken the older woman. It was a poem in his daughter's neat handwriting.

_Family_

_Important to us all,_

_It tells us who we are._

_But family is not just the ties of blood,_

_But the ties of the heart as well._

_Though most of us share no blood,_

_We are all family just the same._

_Thank you for being the wonderful Mother and Grandmother_

_That our family needs._

_For Grandma Hetty_

He swallowed as the message sunk in and handed the frame back to Hetty. She carefully placed it in the center of her desk. "She does have a way with words," he finally said.

"Indeed she does, indeed she does." Hetty shook her head, catching sight of the other agents watching them. "Well what are you all standing around for? Don't you have work to do?"

They scattered, returning to their desks and Callen started to join them, pausing when Hetty called out to him.

"Oh, and Mr. Callen." She gave him a look when he turned to face her, though the corners of her mouth were twitching. "Grandma?"

He stared at her, unable to come up with a response.

"Well, I suppose it is better than Granny or Grams at least," she said, waving him off to his desk.

* * *

Author's Note 2: And thus the story is over. But be on the lookout for what I am tentatively calling Life With Callie, which will be a series of chapters dealing with the events of various season 4 episodes (and possibly season 5) and how Callie's presence in Callen's life affects them. Probably won't be any major influence to most of the episodes but to the characters, especially Callen, and how they react to various events is another story. It might be a while because I need to re-watch certain episodes.


End file.
